2021 Official Steelers Schedule Thread and Record Predictions

[Dcash4]

4 hours ago, cjfollett said:

Very good points. I obviously have not paid as much attention to other team's schedules. I tend to look at the Steelers in a bubble and ignore the rest

It's tough to break from the bubble. The only reason I saw the other schedules is because I was doing my best to avoid starting my yard work!

I just wish one time, someone in the national spot light would step in against others talking about how the Steelers won 12 games against weak opponents and the Browns are clearly better by just pointing out that they shared 14 of the opponents....

[cjfollett]

3 hours ago, Dcash4 said:

It's tough to break from the bubble. The only reason I saw the other schedules is because I was doing my best to avoid starting my yard work!

I just wish one time, someone in the national spot light would step in against others talking about how the Steelers won 12 games against weak opponents and the Browns are clearly better by just pointing out that they shared 14 of the opponents....

I am not convinced Mayfield is "elite" so I have doubts about how good the Browns will be. However, they have improved as a team overall in the last few years.

[warfelg]

The thing with this team is when you take off the Steelers glasses, there are some questions out there that are going to lead to lower projections:

~ Who's the real Ben?  The one at the start of the season who was a pinpoint passer, stayed clean, and didn't make many mistakes; OR the one in the second half that was off just enough in his passes, getting passes knocked down, and almost telegraphing what he wanted to do?

~ How's the overhaul of the offensive line going to go over?  4/5 positions are changing.  Chucks is moving from RT to LT.  We had only 1/2 from Banner last year so is he actually good at RT.  How's Dodson going to look at full time LG.  Will Green, Finney, or Hausenauer going to start at C.  Were we witnessing the beginning of the end for DDC or was last year a blip.  Like that's all fair to question.

~ Will our running game actually improve?  Is Harris the real deal or is he one of the Bama backs that benefitted from NCAA's best line?  If he doesn't have perfect lanes can be "bring his own blocker" so to speak?  Will the scheme changing be the answer?  Will our scheme actually change?  

~ Yes I know how we all feel about Highsmith, but can he bring enough heat opposite Watt regularly?  Or does our pass rush take a step back?

~ How's Bush going to be coming back from injury?

~ What's the thin revamped secondary going to be?

I think you add it all together with all these questions, teams in our division getting better, Ben being another year older, and all the empirical data that show us being one of the luckiest teams last year; and I don't feel great right now about this season.

[MOSteelers56]

I think Decastro is going to have a monster year. He’s in a contract year and this’ll probably be his last chance to get some money. He’ll be playing next to a mauler too. I think we’re in for a big Decastro year. I doubt we keep him, though. 

[Steeler Hitman]

On 5/15/2021 at 7:21 AM, warfelg said:

The thing with this team is when you take off the Steelers glasses, there are some questions out there that are going to lead to lower projections:

No doubt at times, as fans, we have the Homer-Vision glasses and contact lenses in. However, I think we have a well informed and pretty objective group. We may be highly opinionated on our views, but Overall, I have always enjoyed the feedback from most in the group (Trolls and haters withstanding). Last year this team had modest aspirations of winning the division and some even bigger questions like the health and return on the QB. The problem is that they exceeded the original expectations early and the NEW Expectations arose. Of which, they fell like a stone going 1-5 the last six games and looking butt ugly in doing so. 

On 5/15/2021 at 7:21 AM, warfelg said:

~ Who's the real Ben?  The one at the start of the season who was a pinpoint passer, stayed clean, and didn't make many mistakes; OR the one in the second half that was off just enough in his passes, getting passes knocked down, and almost telegraphing what he wanted to do?

I think that  Ben is still Ben! And that is the QB who went to three SB's and has established himself as a top tier NFL QB. He may not be as "elite" due to injuries, health concerns, and a lack of offensive support. Many did not expect the Steelers to win more than nine games last year and they did that in nine weeks. Technically coming off major elbow surgery at 36 or 37 Ben exceeded expectations. The questions is did the team do what was necessary to support a 37 year old coming off of surgery or did they get to the point that they simply expected him to lead the team like it was 2016 or 2017? 

Aging veteran QB's need support. TB won a SB and as much as the GOAT Brady gets credit, he had a heck of a supporting cast: Defense and pass rush improved. The rushing attack stepped up. They trended up and not down. I have said this numerous times, give your aging QB support. I call it the Bronco Formulas (A great running offense and Steller (Steeler in our case) Defense).  Denver won with Elway because of T. Davis and defense and Peyton and a lights out defense.

The Steelers have the makings of those. Connor could have led the rushing attack, but couldn't stay healthy and in truth is probably better being able to split carries. The offenses philosophy did not adjust to Big Ben coming off an injury. He can throw 45, 50, or 55 times here and there, but not as your offensive scheme and attack because you can't run. 

Ben has always like to throw a lot and what real QB doesn't. However, Ben and all QB's are most effective with a balanced offensive attack. I was all for getting some McNasty, hoggish, road graders. 

On 5/15/2021 at 7:21 AM, warfelg said:

~ How's the overhaul of the offensive line going to go over?  4/5 positions are changing. 

Based on our line play that may not be such a bad thing. It can take time for an OL to gel and mix. Last year that never seemed to happen. The first few weeks it looked like we may have a decent OL, but that went downhill.  I would love to see what Banner, DeCastro, Finney/Green, Dotson and  Chuks/Haeg can do.

Chucks is moving from RT to LT.  We had only 1/2 from Banner last year so is he actually good at RT.  How's Dodson going to look at full time LG.  Will Green, Finney, or Hausenauer going to start at C.  Were we witnessing the beginning of the end for DDC or was last year a blip.  Like that's all fair to question.

Questions that only they can answer through play. However, throw in scheme, a better RB, and a more balanced attack. I am more optimistic and have little belief the OL and rushing attack will be #32 or near the bottom again in 2021. I think they have more talent and depth on the OL overall than in 2020. Banner getting hurt early was a huge loss and playing Matt Feiler at LG was a mistake. I was never for moving him. 

~ Will our running game actually improve?  Is Harris the real deal or is he one of the Bama backs that benefitted from NCAA's best line?  If he doesn't have perfect lanes can be "bring his own blocker" so to speak?  Will the scheme changing be the answer?  Will our scheme actually change?  

Fair questions to be better answered through action than optimism or pessimism in some cases.  1. A realistic yes. I think the team is committed to running more and better. 2. Truth in both. What great RB outside of Barry Sanders really didn't have a great OL ( I have to really think on that)? 3. I think his film shows his vision and style for doing that. The great Bama OL missed some blocks at times and he still got yardage. Great story about this done by Alex Kouzora. 4. & 5. Yes! and Yes!  When several teams say that "We have your offense figured out!" It is time to make changes.  Sounds simple, but many coordinators struggle with this. Sometimes the talent doesn't match what is needed for the scheme to execute. We have seen this with former coordinators in Todd Haley, Randy Fitchner, and **** Le Beau to name a few.

~ Yes I know how we all feel about Highsmith, but can he bring enough heat opposite Watt regularly?  Or does our pass rush take a step back?

Hard to expect 50 plus sacks a year regularly. However, what was different was pressure. I think Highsmith takes a step forward, but not to Bud's level after one year. It took Bud five years to get there. I think you add a veteran after you see what Highsmith and Roche' can do in practice and preseason. My solution hasn't changed: add Ryan Kerrigan for insurance and depth. 

~ How's Bush going to be coming back from injury?

Good question and he was playing near an all pro level. I expect to see more with him teamed with Spillane. I think Spillane takes a step forward benefitting from playing next to Bush. And we still have VW to rotate in. MLB will definitely be stronger even as Bush plays back into health/football shape. 

~ What's the thin revamped secondary going to be?

I expect Edmunds to continue to get better. Minkah will be Minkah.  Depth is a question at safety. The question at CB is who behind Haden and Sutton?  Pierre, Layne, and the young guys are all unknowns. A late vet signing is not out of the question. But I think the Steelers evaluate this group through practice and pre season. 

I think you add it all together with all these questions, teams in our division getting better,

Like us it is on paper. There are good players picked and teams trend in directions. The true test is when the adversity hits. The Steelers are a battle tested group. They are flying under the radar while everyone thinks the Ravens will be the Ravens, The Bengals are improved and they spanked the Steelers late last year, and the Browns are now the NFL darlings. They look golden on paper and looked prime to compete for the AFC Championship and SB. Seldom do all of the cards fall into perfect place, TB Bucs and GOAT Brady aside! It is a long season and as we learned last year, it is certainly how you finish more than how you start. Our AFC North rivals are not going to sneak up on anyone. The lowly Steelers may though because everyone sees them as a faltering team with an over the hill candy-armed QB and a ton of other questions.  This is typically when the Steelers rise (hard opposition). Tough schedule, team left for near dead, bottom tiered over the hill QB, drama, and no one expects anything from them. The Steelers perfect storm for success. They are hard pressed for 9 or 10 wins on paper and without looking through our Steeler Fan Colored Glasses that number could realistically be 6 or 7. This is when they seem to come out of nowhere and win. We shall see. Maybe the Steelers will be the same ole' Steelers!

Ben being another year older, and all the empirical data that show us being one of the luckiest teams last year; and I don't feel great right now about this season.

Luck and Steelers seem to be a contradiction of terms. The empirical data would say the Steelers  were lucky when they won and playing normal Steeler football when they loss. 🤓😁  We forget that they were to be hard pressed to go 9-7 last year too by some experts.  The Ravens were picked to go 16-0 and the regular season was just a side show to the AFC Championship showdown between Baltimore and KC. Mahomes vs. Jackson. They play the games for a reason. We were in a pandemic as well. The Steelers handled that very well early and not so well late as their records showed. Not the best Steelers team on paper. But, there have been very few (if any) paper champions crowned SB Champion.

[Dcash4]

On 5/15/2021 at 10:12 AM, MOSteelers56 said:

I think Decastro is going to have a monster year. He’s in a contract year and this’ll probably be his last chance to get some money. He’ll be playing next to a mauler too. I think we’re in for a big Decastro year. I doubt we keep him, though. 

I agree. I don't know that I go as far as monster season, but I do think he is going to bounce back. Weird covid schedule, started the year injured, issued across the line with coaching/game planning. 

A key to remember with him is that he started injured, came back, re-injured after our surprise bye, then came back and we had that incredible weird scheduling time period. Pro's talk all the time about their routines and I would imagine for a guy recovering from injury that's even more important. 

Every question War has is valid and there's for sure reason to be skeptical. I personally think there is a lot of reason to be optimistic about it. 

The OLine is a huge questions. I also think its a sneaky choice for "where we are best at finding talent". Munchak was great, but you cant make chicken salad with chicken .....He maximized talent, he didn't create it. You need the bones of talent to work with. Banner has followed the path Al, Feiler, and Beachum all followed to success as the swing/3rd T. Dotson graded and played to the eye extremely well in just under 400 snaps from a rookie year without a real offseason. 

A lot second half Ben wasn't due to him all of a sudden being terrible at football. No he isn't the same as 5 years ago, but Ill broken record it -- the offensive gameplan was god awful. Marlon Humphries talked about it this weekend - that they heard Ben telling the receivers which routes to run...because we were so bad we had to create offense on the fly...and apparently we did it with just saying "hey, why don't you run a slant?" in empty stadiums. 

ACL injuries and the recover, especially for young players, isn't a huge deal anymore. Obviously of some concern, but a pretty safe bet to say he comes back at the same level. 

And all other teams have questions. The Chiefs and the Browns both graded out in DVOA as historically lucky teams. Baker played 7 games where he completed less than 60% of his passes. The Browns also only had 1 win against a team we didn't also beat -- Washington. All other wins were shared opponents, yet their season was amazing! and ours was trash....because, well, optics. Their loses were smoked by the ravens, smoked by us, the Ravens in a close one and the Raiders and Jets (Beat the Bengals x2, Texans, Eagles, and Jags by a combined 18 points). How quickly can they gel as a D replacing basically 8 of 11 starters as "off-season champs".  The Ravens have a similar injury question to Bush in returning their best OL in Stanley at LT, signed a strange fit in Villy, and made moves to enhance a passing game that may very well take away from the thing that makes them scary. Both still have questions about their defense up the middle. The Pats had a nice off-season but how will their QB position play out and how will multiple guys bounce back to a year off? The Titans lost their best offensive weapon at OC and are highlighted by a 27 year old back with 827 touches in the last two seasons. Nice names signed on defense, but is a guy like Bud Dupree fools gold on his own? The Chiefs rebuilt their offensive line, but their defense is still a liability (hence the DVOA luck).