Storylines for Sunday

Storylines for Sunday
By CK Stiller

1. Whisenhunt/Grimm Vs. Tomlin

2. Warner, Leinart�and Roethlisberger

3. Grimm�s Revamped OL

The easiest angle of the game. It doesn�t take a genius to figure that Whis and Grimm were steaming when they were passed up by the Steelers for an outsider and will badly want to win this game. It�s also pretty obvious that Tomlin doesn�t want to go losing to the guys many fans wanted to inherit the team. This game is special for all the coaches.

Who has the edge? A lot is being made of Whisencunt and Grimm knowing the Steelers playbook and the teams weaknesses. I�m not buying it, for various reasons.

Let�s start with the basics. A lot has changed for the Steelers. A ton, in fact. This offense is vastly different than the one the Steelers were running under Whisencunt. The personnel is used differently. We�ve all see them make greater use of the TE�s, but the backs are also more involved. We�ve seen far fewer bunch formations. There�s less motion. More outside running, with Carey Davis playing a role in that. The Steelers have been making more use of Miller as a H-back. The offense changed more than I anticipated it to. There was a lot more to it than just the off-season talk.

Offensively, the Steelers are now very versatile. There�s still the power formations of old, but there�s a lot more balance. The Steelers can and will give you more looks than they ever did in the past. The Steelers offense has evolved. It will now attack you anyway it can. Last week we saw power running. The two weeks prior we saw more balance.

Okobi knows more about this new offense than Whisencunt. I�m more worried about how much Okobi has been able to pass on to them than I am of any deep knowledge Whisencunt has.

Does Whisencunt know the personnel weaknesses of the team? Again, I�m more inclined to say no. What weaknesses are there in the first place? Do people think there�s some magic coverage that they can play against Roethlisberger? Something no one else in the league has noticed yet? Roethlisberger can make every throw on the field and he�s seen just about everything a defense can throw at him over three seasons. Willie Parker can run outside and in, whether everyone realizes that or not. When you have players who are talented and can do just about everything asked of them, you aren�t limited by scheme and defenses have to be prepared for everything.

Defensively, the Cardinals will be in for a surprise if they expect nothing but the same. The Steelers have already shown some of their new defensive philosophies. I highlighted them the other day. The Cardinals don�t need to just prepare for the Steelers blitzing schemes.

What I said about the offense applies to the defense, as well. The Steelers have very versatile players on both sides of the ball. They have a lot of guys who aren�t limited by scheme.

On the other hand, Whisencunt has imported both the Steelers defense and offense over to Arizona. That�s something few have made mention of at this point. Whisencunt is running a very similar offense in the desert that he ran in Pittsburgh. I would imagine even a lot of the terminology is the same. A lot of the calls are most likely the same, and that is an advantage the Steelers can use defensively.

Both teams should know each other if the coaches do their job. I don�t see an advantage there. The Steelers, though, are more talented.

The next biggest question is which QB the Steelers will face this Sunday. I expect Whisencunt to try the same thing he used against the Ravens. The Steelers and Ravens are the two most aggressive defensives in the league. They also have the two stoutest run defenses. The Cardinals probably won�t blindly run into the teeth of the Steelers defense. They�ll probably use no-huddle to up the tempo and keep the Steelers defense off balance.

Warner did well last week. Whisencunt wants to win this game. We�ll say badly, but that may be an understatement. He knows that the Steelers will have a harder time keying on two QB�s as opposed to one. And Warner seems to have a better grasp of the offense than Leinart.

That isn�t saying much, though, seeing as how Leinart has looked absolutely lost. The Cardinals have shown no faith in him, and he�s shown that he�s uncomfortable and confused. I�m sure being yanked in and out of a game hasn�t helped his confidence much. Leinart is a rhythm passer. He�s used to being able to spread the field and throwing on a regular basis. In spite of what people believe, play-action and a power run game don�t hide a weak QB. Grossman has continued to suck in spite of getting cover 1 every week and being supported with a ground game. No, hamstringing an offense usually only makes a problem worse. As many Steelers fans realized, you are only amplifying the pressure you place on the QB when you ask to him to throw in nothing but the obvious passing situations. Leinart was much more confident playing in the offense being run last season than he is in Whis�. And he may not be able to adjust.

Roethlisberger is a special QB. This doesn�t get said enough by people who aren�t Steelers fans. His success isn�t because of scheme. He�s as good when he�s spreading the field and throwing as he is when dropping back in Whisencunt�s anal, stubborn power run game offense.

Roethlisberger has repeatedly made comments aimed at the old regime and their conservative ways. A lot of that was aimed at his offensive coordinator. It has been reported that Roethlisberger and Whisencunt weren�t seeing eye-to-eye last year and that Whipple was far closer to the young QB.

I let Roethlisberger come out in this game and throw, because he�s going to be highly motivated. I�m going to bet he�s circled this game on his calendar. If he felt like Whisencunt doubted him, this is his chance to show him up by carving up his defense and giving him a humiliating loss. I think Tomlin and Arians allow Roethlisberger to take control of the offense this game. They will gear the gameplan around him.

How Whisencunt plays the Steelers will reveal a lot about what he thinks of Roethlisberger. If they play the run first and the pass second, we�ll get a strong idea of who it was holding him back in the first three years of his career. That will be one of the most interesting things revealed by this game.

I�m anticipated the Cards to play a lot of cover 3. It isn�t a huge change for their defense. They�ll want to let Adrian Wilson do what he does. They�ll want to get after Roethlisberger and force him to make quick decisions with the football. Roethlisberger is more than ready. He may prepare for this game more than any of his young career.

Grimm was the runner-up to Tomlin. Here at Stillers.com, Grimm has been ridiculed. He deserved some of it, as his OL clearly played like garbage last season and, at least in my opinion, has been overrated for years. Though, with Max Starks now out of the picture, pass protection has improved substantially.

Grimm has done a nice job in Arizona so far, though he doesn�t have that much to work with. The line can�t get any push, but they do get on their man and there are some creases for James. And that�s all a quality back needs. In pass pro, they are doing what it takes. I�ve seen a few occasions where they are going for the knees of defenders on short drops. They have done a better job of recognizing blitzes. This is a smarter OL.

Grimm has done a job in Arizona he should be proud of. This week he faces a test on par with the one of last week. Maybe greater. He can�t make his guys stronger, but he�s done a nice job hiding their weaknesses and getting the most out of what he has. They�ve taken a clear step-up from last season.