Week 6 in Review:

 

Long-term Stiller.com fans may remember the stat breakout shown below as similar to those begun last season.� The first (3) categories are variants of the traditional �control the tempo� paradigm.� Takeaways can be an equalizer.� YPA is (yards per passing attempt); TOP is (time of possession).�

 

Category	Previous	This week	Year to date	Won this stat but lost the game
Total yards rushing	46-21-2	11-2	57-23-2	Indy, NYG
TOP	43-26	10-2-1	53-28-1	Seattle Carolina
100 yard rushers	21-10	7-0	28-10
>/= +2 Takeaways	33-3	6-2	39-5	Carolina Kansas City
YPA	57-10-2	9-4	66-14-2	Seattle Carolina Houston Kansas City

 

Futility Index, per right-most column above:

 

San Diego-Kansas City is the weird game of the year, to date.� This went 36-34 San Diego despite the fact that the Bolts lost YPA and takeaways, the two leading indicators.� In fact, San Diego turned it over (5) times for a (-3).� TOP was a spilt with just a 4 second differential.� The big item was field position; the Bolts kicked off (6) times but KC returned only (3); KC kicked off (7) times, the Bolts had 173 yards in returns.� Presumably, San Diego�s kicker reached the EZ 3/6; the Steelers No-toe Petersen could do that too but only if he were permitted to kick from the 50.

 

Carolina had control for 56 minutes before giving (2) TD passes totaling 104 yards.� Prior to that, Dallas had just 69 yards passing offense.

 

Steelers Index:

 

1. Two weeks ago against the Colts, Kitna was 31/43 for 244 and (1) TD; the Bengals threw often but with little effect achieving just 5.39 YPA.� However, they did protect their QB yielding just (1) sack.� The vital stat was Kitna�s (3) INT; the Bengals closed fast but couldn�t get over.

 

The Colts are ranked 2^nd in the league in pass defense, the Steelers 17^th.� However, strength of schedule factors in; consider that last week against the Steelers, Kitna was 23/35 with (3) INT; add (5) sacks and the Bengals had just 4.8 YPA.� In my opinion, the Colt secondary is no better than the Steelers and, again IMO, the Steeler Front 7 is far superior to that Indy will field.� Maddox can pass against the Colts; the Steelers best counter against Manning will be pressure, and plenty of it.

 

2. Last week against the Steelers, Bengal Michael Bennett returned 6 kick-offs for 127 yards.� That�s just over 21 yards per return.� On average, the Bengals started at their own 39.� You figure it out.

 

3. �Six Steeler DB have defended at least (1) pass this season.� They are Scott (6), DW (5), DT (3), Flowers (3), Logan (2) and Poteat (1).� Brent Alexander, who has played nearly every down, has defended exactly (0).�

 

4. Last week, Lee Flowers had (2) INT, doubling his career total.� I�m not prepared to knight Lethon in the Order-of- Ballhawk-ala-Lott.� On the first, Kitna missed his underneath guy, Chad Johnson, by about 8 yards; on the second, Kitna threw about 7 yards short into triple coverage.� I admire Flowers his competitive spirit but he�s no Easley, or even Sammy Knight.� The troubling fact is that, with (3) PD and (2) INT, our pass-challenged SS has been hands-on-a-pass as often as CB Dwayne Washington.� DW had (18) starts last year with (1) INT; he is 0/5 to date in 2002.

 

5. Joey Porter leads the team with (34) solo stops.� Gildon, Foote and Haggans have combined for (33).� Obviously, Gildon is the primary laggard in this group; like Alexander, he is on the field nearly every play.� However, Foote, when he hasn�t been out of position, has been routinely trucked and, as for Haggans, well, of his (5) solo stops, (2) have been sacks and, of his (4) assists, (3) have been baggies.� That so, Clark has participated in, at most, (4) tackles in space.�

 

6. On the plus side, Haggans has risen to 2^nd in the LB corps with (2) PD.� Porter has (4), Farrior and Gildon, (1) each. Add Porter�s (3) picks and we see that Joey has had hands-on-an-opponents-pass (7) times, the rest of corps, (4).

 

7. In just under (9) quarters with Maddox at QB, the Steelers have scored (73) points.� Factoring out Randle-El�s return, that�s still +7.33 points per quarter, say 30 per game.�

 

8. Even with their slow start offensively, the Steelers have scored (13) TD this season.� The presumably high-flying Colts have scored (12) including (1) return by LB Marcus Washington.� The Colt opponents to date are listed in the next section; it is not an impressive roster.

 

9. The Steelers run attack has improved dramatically.� After the Browns game, that unit had just 3.1 YPC; now, they are at 4.2.� Last year, it was 4.8; that is highly unusual, 4.2 will do just fine.

 

10. The Steeler QB corps has thrown more INT (9) than TD (8).� That is the reason that the team QB rating is 75.8.� On the plus side, Maddox has an 89; by way of comparison, Peyton Manning is at 92.

 

11. The Steelers have won when they�ve been even (Browns) or better (Bengals) in takeaways.� If not, not.

 

Coming up:

 

After averaging over 100 YPG rushing in his first (3) games, Edge James has had just over 100 total in his past (2).� The Colts most recent opponents were the Lewis-free Ravens and the Bengals.� Their first (3) opponents were: Jacksonville, Houston and the Dolphins.� It is not quality of opponent that has dulled the Edge, it is the effects from his season-ending knee surgery (11) months or so ago, now aggravated by game-speed contact too soon.�

 

Marvin Harrison has nearly half of the Colts total receiving yards.� Stop Marvin; stop the Colts. �That�ll take constant double teams; unfortunately then, we�ll be seeing a lot of the dime and the damn dime line.�

 

The Colts have allowed just (9) sacks in (5) games.� However, they gave (5) last week against the 3-4, 4-3 morphing Ravens.� Manning had to put it up (40) times because the Colts couldn�t run; Manning could put it up (40) times because the Ravens have no offense at all.� Win TOP, keep Manning on the bench; get ahead early and then put Peyton on the deck

Simple.

 

Maybe not, the Colts are +12 in takeaways and last week they forced (7) fumbles against the Ravens though they covered only two.� As we know, the Steelers are near the bottom in giveaways.� On the plus side, they�ve spit it up at only 2 per game recently after barfing quints back-to-back.

 

The Colts defense has allowed 4.7YPC; sounds cheesy but then again the Browns came in with a + 5.0 YPC allowed and then stuffed the Steelers.� That was then; this is now.� The Steeler run game has been strong in the last two games; to win Monday, they�ll need more of the same.