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So It Begins... Steelers Visit the Patriots


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13 hours ago, wwhickok said:

Yeah....they often make a lot of noise and like any other year, eventually they'll stfu.

On paper, they look very appealing but I can't help but feel all that ego and lack of experienced coaching will catch up with them.

:D

 

I can't wait for you two to play each other. It's going to be must-see drama.

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3 hours ago, Hunter2_1 said:

:D

 

I can't wait for you two to play each other. It's going to be must-see drama.

I am thankful that the "Drama" part has been taken out of the words Pittsburgh and Steelers.  Even Ben has been very cerebral in his answers with the media.  Hopefully we are back to the Steelers way of just playing tough, smash-mouth football, not trash-talk football. We are now officially a no drama zone!

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1 hour ago, Steeler Hitman said:

I am thankful that the "Drama" part has been taken out of the words Pittsburgh and Steelers.  Even Ben has been very cerebral in his answers with the media.  Hopefully we are back to the Steelers way of just playing tough, smash-mouth football, not trash-talk football. We are now officially a no drama zone!

last year could have been a lesson for this team that they needed to learn. First they replaced bell's production no problem with Connor and Samuels.  Next will be replacing AB's production by distribution, perhaps the running game will get more attempts this season which is what I would prefer anyways. That Browns game at home where they ran Connor was what I would prefer  because it controls the game and helps the D.  I don't know if we will get smash mouth football or  hand of on 1st and 2nd down with that cloud of dust etc, but going with a good rushing attack will help the passing game open up.  Teams won't be double teaming JuJu or at least as much as they did AB, so it will challenge the OL and the running game.  

People criticize AB for his behaviour, but the facts are  that when he was playing he changed the way the DC attacks the steelers. It also should have freed up the running game, yet for some reason the steelers rarely decided to run as much as I expected.  Connor had a good ypc too so no reason not to run IMO. 

I  think the drama and BS is history now and I expect this team to be much better than last years meltdown. If ben still takes a month to get ready, I could see 2-2  after 4 games, not bad considering the opponents for the first 2 weeks.  Will be once again take a month to start playing good and more important, will he lower  his interception count? That hurt the team last season, maybe as much as the weak D.  We as fans weren't happy with last seasons drama and record, but maybe tomlin actually held the team together about as good as it could have been. I would have expected some other coaches in the history of the game to have been better, but there were serious issues on that team.  Ben needs to stop calling players out, and the egos need to be kept in check. 

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18 hours ago, wwhickok said:

Yeah....they often make a lot of noise and like any other year, eventually they'll stfu.

On paper, they look very appealing but I can't help but feel all that ego and lack of experienced coaching will catch up with them.

I expect them to contend for a playoff spot, but they might still need another year. I still have to see their D improve because last year they really lacked D too often. The new DC might help but I am not expecting them to be much better on D. On offence though, they might be a really balanced team, especially with beckham probably causing DC's to slide coverages or double, that could open up the run game. I don't mind the browns making noise, it's good to see some new teams get into the playoffs, just don't knock the steelers out of the playoffs , sounds about fair to me-_-

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4 hours ago, 3rivers said:

last year could have been a lesson for this team that they needed to learn. First they replaced Bell's production no problem with Connor and Samuels.  Next will be replacing AB's production by distribution, perhaps the running game will get more attempts this season which is what I would prefer anyways.

That won't be as easy as replacing Bell's rushing as Connor and Samuels downhill style of running are probably better suited for our OL. Bell was very good at picking holes, waiting for an opening and then exploding through it.  Connors and Samuels are more smash-mouth.  As far as AB, what he did on the field will not be easily replaced if at all. I agree with you completely that the combination of things may help from an overall production standpoint, but we have no one with AB's physical talents.  He is a HOF caliber player with great hands. Unfortunately, he became a cancer to the team.

That Browns game at home where they ran Connor was what I would prefer  because it controls the game and helps the D.  I don't know if we will get smash mouth football or  hand off on 1st and 2nd down with that cloud of dust etc, but going with a good rushing attack will help the passing game open up.  Teams won't be double teaming JuJu or at least as much as they did AB, so it will challenge the OL and the running game.  

I am not so sure about that. Ju Ju has had success because he was not double teamed. He will have to prove that he can beat especially now that he is the feature WR.  Teams will game plan to let Moncrief and Washington have to beat them rather than Ju Ju. If I was scouting the Steelers, that is what I would do.

People criticize AB for his behavior, but the facts are  that when he was playing he changed the way the DC attacks the Steelers. It also should have freed up the running game, yet for some reason the Steelers rarely decided to run as much as I expected.  Connor had a good ypc too so no reason not to run IMO. 

I don't think many of us had any real criticism of AB the player or his work ethic. I still have a few AB jersey's and he was probably my favorite Steeler.  However, his behavior and character as a teammate became horrible for whatever reason.  He is a grown @$$ man.  He owns his behavior and attitude. He desreves some criticism for how he acted at the end of last year and some of the other things that he did. What he doesn't realize now is that he hurt his own legacy in Pittsburgh.  He doesn't see it now, but when he retires and people talk about his career and his success, it will start  with what he did and did not do in Pittsburgh.

I  think the drama and BS is history now and I expect this team to be much better than last year's meltdown. If Ben still takes a month to get ready, I could see 2-2  after 4 games, not bad considering the opponents for the first 2 weeks.  Will be once again take a month to start playing good and more important, will he lower  his interception count?

I don't see the pedestrian start.  I think Ben got a lot more practice reps and his game reps in week three (pre-season) were sharp.  I think his INT's will be down because now he won't be forcing the ball and trying to read what AB is doing rather than what he is telling the receiver's to do.

That hurt the team last season, maybe as much as the weak D.  We as fans weren't happy with last seasons drama and record, but maybe Tomlin actually held the team together about as good as it could have been. I would have expected some other coaches in the history of the game to have been better, but there were serious issues on that team.  Ben needs to stop calling players out, and the egos need to be kept in check. 

Adversity will test the best of us.  I think that the organization, Coach T, and Ben ALL learned from the past drama and dealings with several individual and team situations. Accountability has to go both ways.  I believe that iron does sharpen iron.  However, you are correct that EGO's don't want to be corrected. We need more players with character and maturity and less immature characters. Hopefully the sting of underachieving has left a bitter taste in enough Steelers players and coaches mouths. If this team plays hard and doesn't beat itself, I don't think there are many teams who can or will beat them straight up.  I have thought this with better superstars and "allegedly" more talented players. Great players and talent alone doesn't win Super Bowls. I hope the Steelers understand this because our Killer Bee's shot themselves in the foot (mouth) and inflicted more damage on themselves than their opponents.

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5 hours ago, Steeler Hitman said:

I think that the organization, Coach T, and Ben ALL learned from the past drama and dealings with several individual and team situations. Accountability has to go both ways.  I believe that iron does sharpen iron.

I agree with this, but will this actually be the case?  Last  year was terrible,  so this year can only be good no matter what;)

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11 hours ago, 3rivers said:

I agree with this, but will this actually be the case?  Last  year was terrible,  so this year can only be good no matter what;)

I hope so, but ultimately the proof will be in how the team plays.  Thus far, I think that they all have  responded well and been pretty positive in focusing on football, the players on the team and leaving the past in the past.  They have not been baited in by some of the comments from sportscasters,  former players or reactions from AB and Bell.  This part is good regardless of what happens on the field. The team is hopefully trending in a different direction in regards to unity, teamwork, and character. 

To your point, the standard is the standard in Pittsburgh.  Anything less than a Super Bowl win is not a successful season in Pittsburgh in the minds of many fans, players and the organizations leadership. Especially after the talent that has been assembled and failed to reach that goal.  I am simply giving the Steelers credit where it is due for how they have responded thus far.  This team and locker room has not been filled with a bunch of drama or divas this off-season nor have they shown anything negative heading into the start of this year. That is a win in my book.

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4 hours ago, Steeler Hitman said:

I am simply giving the Steelers credit where it is due for how they have responded thus far.  This team and locker room has not been filled with a bunch of drama or divas this off-season nor have they shown anything negative heading into the start of this year. That is a win in my book.

they have turned it around 180 degrees from last year, credit there.  Even if they miss the playoffs like last year, it should be a "better" season for fans. Last year was that bad. Maybe the most important move the team made int he offseason was to get the turmoil removed. On that topic, I just read that article on nfl.com how bell thought the  steelers let something special go.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001047220/article/bell-steelers-had-something-special-and-let-it-go

If he was so special, why didn't other teams line up in a bidding war and why is his deal nowhere near what he thought last year. I'm glad he is gone , this team was doing well without him when Connor was healthy and the play calling was decent and if ben wasn't throwing to the other team etc 

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1 hour ago, 3rivers said:

they have turned it around 180 degrees from last year, credit there.  Even if they miss the playoffs like last year, it should be a "better" season for fans. Last year was that bad. Maybe the most important move the team made int he offseason was to get the turmoil removed. On that topic, I just read that article on nfl.com how bell thought the  steelers let something special go.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001047220/article/bell-steelers-had-something-special-and-let-it-go

If he was so special, why didn't other teams line up in a bidding war and why is his deal nowhere near what he thought last year. I'm glad he is gone , this team was doing well without him when Connor was healthy and the play calling was decent and if ben wasn't throwing to the other team etc 

I saw the article on one of my Steelers groups on FB.  You turn down $70 million dollars and the team let something special go?  He's right, he is "special." I was as big a Lev Bell fan as anyone else here, but Lev was always a little immature and his thought process, logic, and reasoning left much to be desired.  If he wanted to be here, he would be. His agent and even his mother told him to take the deal. The Steelers offered him something better than he got in terms of $$$, value and opportunity to win a SB ring.

He didn't realize that driving while impaired by marijuana was wrong.  He thought, "well I wasn't driving drunk!"  He recently didn't realize that you don't leave your casual strip club hook-ups in your bed while you go to work-out. Mama didn't teach you that everyone doesn't deserve to come home? Those kind of acquaintances" you meet at the hotel (discreetly). He thought he should be paid better than many second tier WR's.  There may have been some truth to that based on his playing ability, usage and performance, but he never realized how important his brand and his appearance in the court of public opinion goes in negotiations. He almost blew the Jet deal. I could go on and on. Some is immaturity and some is just plain ignorance. You are gone, it is over, shut your mouth and move on. Period. Both sides need to realize that the media is only stirring the pot and taking any carrot or nugget that floats to the top of the pot it stirs, regardless of whatever side and without care or regard to anyone but a story.

Some of Ben's INT's were the result of him forcing the ball and trying to keep a mouthy diva-ish WR from having a sideline hissy fit. Ben owns some of that and the coaches own the other for letting AB get away with some of what he did. Coach T said many times that his "superstars" get away with things that others don't.  Two of the three "superstars" are gone.  Hope they learned from it and I believe that this was part of why Ben blew up (or said something to, whatever offended AB) at practice after the Saints game last year.  I would speculate that Ben thought, "I am taking crap for throwing INT's trying to get you TD's and help us win and you only whine and moan when I don't get you the ball. What about when you don't follow the play or do whatever you want and it hurts me and the team?"  It is a fair assumption to think that Ben was frustrated at WR's for dropping TD's, running the wrong routes, breaking routes and not being on the same page of the playbook. Ben may not have handled it as well as he should have and Ben has shown some immaturity in the past. However, to Mr. Colbert's point, no one else on that roster won a SB ring (AB and Bell included).

To use an analogy, I absolutely fell in love with the player and attitude of AB in 2011.  I even gave him some passes for FB Live and some other poor decisions or indiscretions over the past few years. He flat-out balled out on game-days. He absolutely seemed like he wanted to win and not just for himself.  The player that walked out on the team Week 17 because of a blow-up and what he has said and done towards the team, devalued his trade ability and the Steelers brand broke my heart.  While Bell did not say or do anything as bad, his poor decisions and lack of regard to his word to his teammates hurt him in Pittsburgh.  It is now Ju Ju, Connor, Edmunds, and Bush to forge the next great Steelers legacy.

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