Ed: Best Steelers Logically Can do is 6th Seed

Wednesday, 05 December 2012 07:27

Written by Ed Bouchette

Good morning,
    The Steelers will have no home playoff games this season because they are fighting for the sixth and last seed in the AFC. Their chances of winning the division have been pegged at 4.7 percent by the website below that calculates such things.
     Because of tiebreakers, the Baltimore Ravens would have to lose three of their final four games and the Steelers would have to go 4-0 for them to capture the AFC North Division title. And even then, it might matter little because they probably would not get a first-round bye. The only consolation for winning the division would be playing at home in the first week of the playoffs.
       So, they have a long way to go. They likely must win three of their final four to make the playoffs, although going 2-2 with a victory over the Bengals might do it. They should be favored in three of their home games and their game at Dallas will be close.
Onto some stuff:
   --- Mike Tomlin seemed to go out of his way to explain on Tuesday that Ben Roethlisberger would have to “prove” he can play this week. Perhaps it’s a response to how Roethlisberger detailed his injury after it occurred and bringing up the dislocated rib and the chance it could puncture his aorta.
 --- The Steelers chances of making the playoffs are better than half, which is much better than their chances of making the post-season before the season began, according to the web site www.makeNFLplayoffs.com which calculates the chances each NFL team will make the playoffs. Their chances were pegged at 37.5 percent before the season. They are 52.4 percent today. Their chances of winning the division are, as you might guess, minute – 4.7 percent.
--- The Chargers and Steelers will play on a freshly sodded playing field Sunday. It was installed after the high school playoffs and Pitt played Thanksgiving weekend.
--- Your questions:
--- YOU: I always comment on your chat. I read a comment from Sheff saying that the Taylor injury might be a blessing in disguise with Cortez Allen getting a look. Your response was to go tell that to the other over 30 players. Sorry Ed, I'm on Sheff's side. Who know's maybe Ike will be gone next year? Sheff never said that Ike should be replaced. However, the names you mentioned he should go tell I wouldn't be surprised if atleast two or three are gone. I guess you have your faves. It seems that when a veteran's performance or his status is questioned you get mad. Then again, you have to go into that locker room so I guess I understand. I'm surprised experts like you can't foresee that any player over 30 maybe not around the following year
ME: My point is, if someone feels that way about Ike Taylor, who is still playing good ball no matter his age, why not feel the same way about others in his age group?
--- YOU: One question: you mentioned that 10 Steelers remain from 2005. It got me thinking about who they are:
Ben Roethlisberger
Troy Polamalu
James Harrison
Casey Hampton
Brett Keisel
Ike Taylor
Larry Foote
Heath Miller
Max Starks
Charlie Batch
Greg Warren
I counted 11. Am I right, or was one of these players not on the roster for Super Bowl XL? (Injured Reserve?)
ME: You are correct. I missed Max Starks because the Steelers list him as joining the team in 2012 apparently because he was a free agent for awhile even though he has never played for another team since he was drafted in 2004.
--- YOU: Did you see what Flacco said? "I think we missed a couple of opportunities early to really take a hold of this game even more," Flacco said. "I thought we could have put up 30 or 40 points today and we didn't. I think that's a reflection that we hurt ourselves."
ME: They scored 20 and I agree with him. They could have scored more if it weren’t for some of his wayward passes. It’s no different when the Steelers say they left some points on the field.
--- YOU: What is this nonsense I heard from the tv announcers on Sunday about Ryan Clark visiting the Ravens locker room after the loss in Pittsburgh?
I don't recall reading that in the PG, but I may have just missed it.
Can you shed a little light on what happened? Also, isn't that atypical? Why would a player visit the evil opponent's locker area?
Do you think he was sent by Tomlin, or maybe even Haley, to steal secrets or maybe nab a playbook? Is that how we won this past Sunday?
ME: You did not read about it because we didn’t send a reporter to their locker room. Someone else saw him in there and wrote about it. I explained why here yesterday.
--- YOU: Ed, Steeler 2012 defensive backs w/o Troy have turned a negative into a positive. How much credit goes to Carnell Lake?
ME: I don’t necessarily always give credit or blame to coaches based on their players’ performances, but they do have coaches for a reason and we have seen steady improvement in this secondary, especially at the cornerback position. So Lake should take a deserving bow.
--- YOU: Hey Ed, Plus Member here. Please tell me is I am wrong, but wasn’t it one the Ravens that had the Terrible Towel on their heard something to that affect? Maybe the Towel Jinx again?
ME: It was Ray Rice, who traded his gloves for a Terrible Towel with a Steelers fan after the Ravens won in Heinz Field this year. He put the thing on his head as he walked off the field. He later said it would hold a place of honor in his basement as a memento from the rivalry. I don’t think he was abusing it.
--- YOU: Based on your article today about Beachum, a guard moving to tackle, and Willie Colon success at RT now guard, please answer a qustion I've had for years.
Why does football take the smallest and quickest guy and make him a guard, and the biggest and slowest guy and make him a tackle when..........they go up aginst the exact opposite defensive linemen. ??????
I do understand the pulling guard needs, but seems today that logic should be overridden by protecting your QB being more important than the trap play ??????
ME: When it comes to tackles, much of it actually has to do with arm length. If your arms aren’t long enough, it’s more difficult to keep the pass rusher off you. Guards in general usually go up against much bigger men --  the defensive tackles in the league --  but leverage also is more important inside than being out on what they call an island, so size is not quite as important. The Steelers also require their guards to pull more – not all teams do that -- and that requires more quickness.