![[Unnamed] Steelers Pregame Show](/images/stories/menu33.png)
If they're not mad enough to take it out on somebody, they never will be. The defense makes a stand, the offense finishes drives. Pink Terrible Towels become the rage. Steelers 28, Bolts 14.
| Ride The Lightning... |
 |
| Written by Cotter |
| October 02, 2009 09:10 |
 Oh hey guys, what's up? Yeah, so you'll have to accept our sincerest apologies again for the late posting. If you looked up "failure" in the dictionary, you'd see a picture of Cotter's internet provider, right next to Eric Mangini. Nevertheless, after we gave you our own largely unreasoned and largely unbalanced look at the Chargers lineup yesterday, today we give you an idea of what we'll be watching for on Sunday. Besides this guy, of course... All joking aside (and this requires much restraint for us), this is a HUGE game for the Steelers. Put it this way, if this game were a WWF wrestler from the early to mid 90's, it'd definitely be Yokozuna. If it were a talk show host, it'd be Rosie O'Donnell. It's the Al Roker circa 1998 of Steelers football games. Like we've talked about all week, a win would go a LONG way towards restoring our spirits to normal levels. Not to mention potentially setting the tone for the rest of the season. Fittingly, for the 3rd straight week, we could be looking at one of these...  A duel, that is. After drawing Jay Cutler and Carson Palmer the past two weeks, it doesn't get any easier for the Steelers as they will be staring across the line at the league's current #1 passer this week. But enough about Philip Rivers. We've spent more time talking about that punk this week than our sanity will reasonably allow. So we're going to leave it at that, and instead, we're just going to give you our respective "Three Things To Watch For" with the usual OFTOT twist. Let's do this... Cotter's Three Things To Watch For: 1. The Deep Ball Over The Middle  We're not going to beat around the bush, the Chargers like to air it out more than Jet Blue. And most of the time, they're most effective over the middle. So far this season, they've heaved it down field 27 times (almost half of those coming against the Ravens). Of those 27 times, they've completed 14. Of those 14, 5 have been over the middle. And of those 5, 3 have been to Antonio Gates. We've laid the road map, you do the rest. That's not to say that the Steelers shouldn't be wary of a deep ball down the sidelines. But the Chargers aren't stupid. With Troy Polamalu on the shelf, that leaves 5'8" of Tyrone Carter and 5'11" of Ryan Clark (allegedly) to fend for themselves. We told you yesterday how not one of San Diego's receivers is under 6'2"...this shouldn't be rocket science. 2. Pressure At the current rate, by the end of the season Jon and Kate Gosselin may have more kids than the Steelers defense has sacks. The Steelers have been frustratingly ineffective on defense and never more so than when they really need it. That is NOT Steeler football NOR is it Dick Lebeau football. Last November, the Steelers only got to Rivers twice. But, they also picked him twice and one of those sacks resulted in a safety. This year, the Chargers line is about as air-tight as OJ's alibi. Couple that with the need to make a statement and the Steelers defense just might feast on Philip Rivers, like so... Here's to more visuals like this...  3. Grabassin'  Last November, the Chargers pulled a Clarence Thomas and harassed James Harrison like his name was Anita Hill. Granted, some of the instances we chose to highlight (here and in last year's post) could have been debatable. But if the Chargers were going to get all handsy like that with Silverback, the least they could've done was bought him dinner first. If we were douchier, we'd email last year's post to Mike Pereira. But frankly, we're fully aware of OFTOT's irrelevance. Plus, we've said it before and we'll say it again - complaining about officiating is for Cowboys fans. Besides, even with Brandon Manumaleuna all over his nuts, the beast can wreak havoc...  ...we're hoping he does that this Sunday. SAFETY! Steve's Three Things To Watch For: 1. The Offensive Line
As it stands right now, Willie is doubtful to play. The odds are better of the Browns winning an actual NFL football game (had to). With that said, look for more inside traps with Rashard and Mewelde. Inside runs could be a game changer for the Steelers as the Chargers are with out Pro Bowl defensive tackle, Jamal Williams. Prediction: The O-Line leads the Steelers to a 150 yard rushing day. 2. Antonio Gates Antonio Gates is to the Chargers offense as James Sawyer is to the television show LOST. The programs/gameplans don't work to perfection, without them. Especially with Troy not likely to play, I am going to be watching Gates as the main target for the Chargers offense. Who cares who I am watching, TYRONE CARTER, should be watching Antonio Gates. If Gates isn't double teamed and or check at the line by both Harrison and Woodley, the Steelers could be in trouble in down field. In LeBeau We Trust. Oh yeah dude, no doubt - Sawyer > Jack. 3. Special Teams  Yep, that unrecognizable face is Darren Sproles. Did you expect anything less? I am going to be more excited than a pre-pubescent kid reading the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, during kickoffs on Sunday night. The main returners for the Chargers and Steelers are well, fast. Darren Sproles and Stephan Logan are basically shifty, speedy, minature, dopplegangers. Despite not being able to reach the cookies on the top shelf, both players can change a game faster than you can say "Najeh Davenport." Watch for both Sproles and Logan to be the main contributors to their teams respective field position. Could be the difference late...... especially in a close game. Prediction: Logan takes one to the house. And yes, I'll predict that every week until it actually happens. Final Score: Cotter...  Steve...  Other Things To Watch For: In honor of Big Ben on WWE's Monday Night Raw, Steely McBeam will challenge the San Diego chicken to a cage match (again...used this one last year...don't even care)...  Steely's gonna eat that cock alive...[Brady Quinn joke]. Which reminds us...  Self-explanatory. We're not even sure how this fits in...  Definitely one of OFTOT's top 10 worst photoshop jobs of all time, though. And finally, we hear Philip Rivers has quite the entrance planned for Sunday...  We're not in San Diego anymore, Ladainian... And that, friends, is what we'll be watching for on Sunday. How about you all? Do you expect the Chargers to attack the middle? Do you see the running game having a big day? Will Coach Tomlin have to choke a bitch? We'll take any and all predictions in the comments...grazi. Obligatory Footer - If you haven't already, become a fan of OFTOT on Facebook, join the blog network and follow Cotter and Steve on Twitter. Or don't. Your choice, really. |
