Quick look at the 2010 Steelers and
In-depth look at Dennis Dixon���� By Ill
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QB: Dennis
Dixon gets the nod as Big Ben�s fill-in for the first four games, and frankly
it seems people are being too hard on the young qb. A combination of Dixon�s
inability to read defenses and Arians� being mentally challenged has the
stiller faithful worried sick. A good example of Arians� idiocy is the limited
amount of rollouts and playing to Dixon�s strengths. A good example of Dixon�s
struggles is the game vs. the Doncos in the preseason this year. Here is a
detailed breakdown of my opinion of these two situations:
Against Baltimore in 2009,
there was only one rollout that I can even recall (that ended up putting up 6
for the Steelers). One thing that people seem to forget is the fact that if
Dixon were for some reason injured in that game, all of a sudden Pittsburgh
would have been led by a greenhorned rookie who�s name I can�t even recall.
This caused the mediocre at best OC to be a lot more cautious with the young
speedster.
Recently against Denver in
the preseason Dixon threw 2 picks which sent everyone into a frenzy. The first
pick was a Big Ben-esque boneheaded throw, but the second was a simple jumped
route where it would have been easier for Dixon to just take off through the
line. Why didn�t he? Once again, Arians and Tomlin wanted to test his true drop
back and pass abilities. He had two great games against the backups of the
Giants and Lions, in which he went a combined 13-15 for 210 yards and a TD when
he essentially was left to his own devices. The game against Denver, however,
proved to be quite the challenge for him. The things to keep in mind for this
game were that he WAS playing against a very good Denver pass defense on the
road, and he essentially wasn�t allowed to use his legs. Honestly, what he did
in that game shouldn�t worry fans as much as it does.
What do you think Ben �Two
Rings� Roethlisberger would do if he had to focus on just throwing over the top
(NOT his strong suit) against a good pass d? What would happen if they made
Leftwich limit his pocket passing to roll out more?
So don�t be so quick to
judge the young Dennis Dixon. He�ll have more opportunities to rollout and play
to his strengths come game day. Either that, or Arians will limit him and the
entire NFL will become aware of his complete incompetence.
In addition, Ben looked true
to his old form in the preseason.
RB: With
Dixon at the helm, expect Mendenhall to get more opportunities to make a few
splash plays. Mendenhall has shown he can play power football and be elusive as
well, and should have a good season running the football. Dwyer and Redman
should prove as good subs, with Moore�s abilities most likely being once again
almost completely ignored.
The two things that
immediately jump out to me in the defensive backfield are the moving of William
Gay to 3rd db and obviously the return of stalwart Troy Polamalu. I
still have faith In Ike�s abilities.
WR:
Obviously the biggest story of this year�s set of WR�s is can Mike Wallace step
up? The answer is yes. Considering what the youngster was able to do as the 3rd
receiver in his rookie season, and the fact that Wallace has stated he�s
shooting for the pro bowl as his number one goal, this could be a huge breakout
season for the 2nd year man outa Mississippi. As a matter of fact,
with Randle El back and the rise of youngster Manny Sanders, this could be a
VERY deep and elite receiving corps.
OL:
Whether or not Flozell will hurt or help this line remains to be seen. Pouncey
is an obvious improvement; anyone can attest to that. I want to say the loss of
Colon will hurt, but this line looks to be about the same as the past couple
years. A bunch of mediocre to decent guys trying to protect Big Ben, who causes
plenty of sacks himself.
TE: �Arians wants to pass more (surprise,
surprise), which is good news for the ever-reliable Heath Miller, who will
probably see more time in the slot. Spaeth will once again catch maybe 5 passes
for the season, and block nothing.
DL: �Hampton, Keisel, and Smith once again.
However, because it is his second season, Ziggy Hood might ACTUALLY GET A
LITTLE PLAYING TIME. Whether he�ll play well might still be a little up in the
air, as opinions of him are a bit scattered, but he and Nick Eason will at
least provide considerable depth on the line.
DB: The
two things that immediately jump out to me in the defensive backfield are the
moving of William Gay to 3rd db and obviously the return of stalwart
Troy Polamalu. I still have faith In Ike�s abilities, he�s been number one for
a long time for a reason (obviously not his hands, though). Bryant McFadden�s
return brings me much joy, because it means no more relying on William Gay on
every down. However, Willie Gay as a nickel and dimeback makes for some
excellent matches in his favor. Deshea Townsend�s veteran abilities will still
be in play as the 4th cb. Ryan Clark will remain at his position,
with some decent depth in all db positions in Butler, Burnett, Allen, etc�
LB: Some
have Lamar Woodley down for a run at defensive MVP this year, with Silverback�s
age becoming a factor. Woodley is also playing for a new contract this year, so
definitely expect him to play at the top of his game this year. Timmons and
Farrior will run the inside, and FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, LEBEAU, PLEASE take
Farrior out for 3rd and 4th and long situations, because
we could have easily had two or more wins (First cincy and balt games) then
last year with his slow ass on the sidelines instead of trying to cover Ray
Rice on a 3rd and long. As usual, plenty of depth at this position
as well.
One last thing to keep in
mind is other than Troy�s knee being 100%, this defense is damn near the same
thing as the 2008 version. There�s a good chance we could have a return of �Steel
Curtain II� this season, especially with Timmons starting over Foote and
McFadden back. With McFadden back (which is highly underestimated), this
edition of the Steelers defense could very well return to the most elite in the
league.
NOTE: This article was a
last-second thing, and therefore was done in about 1.5 hours. It excludes
special teams because of time constraints. Don�t hate.�� Be Ill.