Comments on: Steelers Opponent Preview: the Baltimore Ravens

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 19:35:39 +0000

Welcome to the site! I love people that take the positive angle : ) Great points, and you’ll be happy to hear the PFFffffft has noticed Stephon Tuitt. Tomorrow’s stats article reveals this… PFFffffttt has also noticed the poor play of (most) of the Raven’s secondary – S Will Hill is playing very well.

As to opening the game pass-heavy, that’s what I would do if I were Haley, since the Ravens are going to be determined to stop the run, I would think. The only thing is, they are having to turn this into a left-handed offense. My left-handed mother-in-law would say it serves the Steelers right for having a right-handed one in the first place, but then she despises football anyway…

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By: parsonpriem

parsonpriem — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 19:29:14 +0000

I’ll go ahead and take the positive angle and point out that missing players like Reed, Lewis, Suggs, Ngata, Ward, Farrior, Ben gives us the exciting opportunity to seen a new chapter in the rivalry. This rivalry is not going to fizzle and die anytime soon, rest assured, players like Tuitt (who happens to be leading the team in sacks in case PFFffffft didn’t notice) and Mosley are have heard over and over from the veterans about the importance of this game and they will be eager to put their stamp on the legacy of the rivalry. In fact, Mosley already has imprinted himself in the Steelers/Ravens lore, getting owned by Bell last year. Steelers fans still talk about when we beat the Ravens with Batch under center, and Vick will have the same opportunity. Heyward plays with such intensity you know there’s going to be some extracurricular activity surrounding him Thursday. There are lots of young, hungry guys on both teams who are eager to create new storylines in the rivalry, and lest we forget… James Harrison, the Raven Killer Himself, will still be out there!

In comparing the two teams, the Ravens secondary really is playing badly right now. AJ Green is good, but 200+ yards is a lot to give to anyone, and Green is not an unstoppable force like “Captain Consistency” Antonio Brown. Green was held to 45 yards by the Chargers and 63 yards by the Raiders in his first two games. Crabtree got 111 yards against the Ravens and 36 yards in each of his other two games. I wouldn’t be surprised if Haley tries to take the Ravens by surprise and jump out to an early lead by opening the game pass heavy, or at least taking a couple shots down the field off play-action that will soften the Ravens run defense even if they doesn’t score.

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By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 14:08:14 +0000

Thanks, fever. I would be very happy to see malor – I’ve missed him…

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By: skyfire322

skyfire322 — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 06:57:39 +0000

Great article! This may sound a little disjointed but I, like a few others, think that this game might “lack” the same type of excitement as previous because the likes of Ben and Suggs are out. Both teams are going on a three days off, so it’s probably going to be a pretty slow paced.

On the flip side, one of the (if not the) most memorable clashes was when a backup (Mr. Batch) led the team to victory just three years ago.

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By: steeler fever

steeler fever — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 05:24:49 +0000

Excellent work, Rebecca. I will share this not only at the other Steelers site but also the Baltimore site where Mr MaLoR still sometimes lurks.

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By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 01:12:56 +0000

Interesting, and scary… Well said!

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By: PittBoss72

PittBoss72 — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 00:54:35 +0000

Honestly, this game would have a lot more hype if the Ravens had a better record, especially with Ben being out. The fact that they’re 0-3 takes some of the luster off the game so its not garnering the attention it normally would. Just my opinion on that. Personally though this is one of the biggest challenges for our young Steeler team. Down their leader, can the other stars on offense pick up the slack in his absence? If Mike Vick can avoid mistakes and (GULP) just “manage the game” I think we have a really good shot. Our defense has shown really good growth over the last two games. Can they be consistent and keep it up against the offense of a hated rival who has its back against the wall and is looking for a meaningful victory to spark a potential resurgence? To me this shapes up to be one of the more interesting games we’ve played in a long time.

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By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Tue, 29 Sep 2015 19:45:18 +0000

Ain’t that the truth. The Papelbon Basepath Rage incident is unbelievable…

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By: elpalito

elpalito — Tue, 29 Sep 2015 18:42:20 +0000

lol
Not as much impact for a guy on the sidelines to be doing the yelling. Though Porter would have more right to yell at players than Papelbon did in yelling at Harper. At least Porter knows what it is like to be in those situations.

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By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Tue, 29 Sep 2015 17:13:07 +0000

You don’t think Joey Porter will take up the slack? Although I suppose he has to put a sock in it, now that he’s on the coaching staff…

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