The NFL is a Passing League...right?

Wednesdays usually mean one of two things for us: writing a statistical analysis post or being jokes and not blogging. Guess which you get treated to today? Stay tuned next week for more of the thrilling drama: Us vs Lethargy.

The NFL is now a passing league.

We've heard this same mantra droned by members of the media for years now. "The NFL is a passing league." "You have to pass to win." These types of comments have gained a lot of momentum sine 2006 when the Colts won the Super Bowl. The ensuing season, when the Patriots went 16-0, everyone seemed to think that the age of running the ball was essentially over. In 2008, when the Steelers won the Super Bowl on a last-minute drive that was comprised entirely of passing plays and the Arizona Cardinals, a pass-first, pass-second, and pass-third team made the Super Bowl, the shouting grew even louder. Last season, two passing teams made the Super Bowl, and even though the one with the more balanced offense came out on top, it seemed like the coup de grace for running teams.

Ignored during this time was the Giants winning the Super Bowl with a clock-control game and good defense. The New York Jets led the league in rushing last year and it carried them to the AFC Championship Game. Granted, their lack of a passing game was the final hurdle that prevented them from getting to the Super Bowl.

Coming in to this season, all the talk was on passing games. Teams without quarterbacks were, for the most part, being discounted before the season even started. Everyone said the Steelers weren't likely to win more than 2 without Ben Roethlisberger, and they certainly couldn't beat the mighty Atlanta Falcons with Dennis Dixon at quarterback.

But let's take a closer look at what exactly went down this week. Obviously it's only Week 1 and we can't draw too many conclusions, but there are some really interesting stats to be had.

Currently, only 2 of the Top 10 teams in passing attempts won their Week 1 games (Arizona and Baltimore) The Top 5 all lost.

Only 4 of the Top 10 in passing yards won their Week 1 games (Chicago, Arizona, New England, New York Giants). Four of the Top 5 all lost.

Now let's look at the flip side of things. How did teams that decided to pound the rock fare?

All of the Top 10 teams in rushing attempts won their Week 1 games.

8 of the Top 10 teams in rushing yardage won their Week 1 games. Only Philadelphia, behind a monster effort from backup QB Michael Vick, and Oakland lost.

So what does this tell us?

It tells us that running the ball is still an important factor in the NFL.

Obviously, our sample size is small, and this statistical analysis really wouldn't stand up to any kind of real scrutiny, it can be torn apart with one quick statement ("Teams that are losing tend to throw more, so it's not surprising that, after only 1 week, the high passing teams all lost").

Is it really that early in the season that we're counter-arguing our own arguments, just for something to do? Yup.

In response to that, let's look at the games lost by the teams that led the league in passing:

Indianapolis (Att - 1, Yds - 1) 

Houston led the whole game, but there were points when it was close. Indy was only down 3 at halftime.

St Louis (Att - 2, Yds - 10)

No clue why they had so many attempts. This is Exhibit A of a team drinking the Kool-Aid of the media and thinking they need to become a passing team just because they drafted a franchise QB. Seriously? 55 pass attempts with Sam Bradford behind that line? Especially when you have Steven Jackson? This is one of the most shocking, particularly since St Louis had a lead or was tied for at least 2 1/2 quarters of this game.

Cincinnati (Att - 3, Yds - 3)

Cincinnati is going to run their team into the ground trying to throw this much. They had a solid year last year being built around running the ball and playing good defense. Guess what they didn't do well at all in Week 1? Play good defense or run the ball. They were behind for a lot of the game though.

Dallas (Att - 4, Yds - 5)

Was there any more satisfying game to watch than the Cowboys crapping all over themselves? When you have Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice all healthy (something that only happens about 2 weeks in any given football season), why only run 22 times? Dallas was 25th in the league in rushing attempts last week, and with no real reason, they were in the game with Washington the whole time.

San Francisco (Att - 5, Yds - 15)

This might be the most surprising number of the week. San Francisco only ran the ball 19 times, 30th in the league last week. So what did they do? Threw the ball a crapload of times, even after they had a 6-0 lead.

Atlanta (Att - 6, Yds - 11)

Yeah, they played against Pittsburgh and our run defense looks awesome. However, they threw the ball a lot and only had 9 points to show for it. Their offense didn't reach the end zone and they didn't even try to go over the top once to keep Pittsburgh's defense balanced.

San Diego (Att - 8, Yds - 4)

Steelers fans can relate here. Driving rain and winds, yet still throwing the ball a crapload of times? Yup, sounds like a recipe for victory.

Cleveland (Att - 9, Yds - 12)

Jake Delhomme? Joke. Not only were they winning most of the game, they also lost to Tampa Bay.

So what's the conclusion?

Running the ball still has its place in the NFL. No matter what the guys on The Fan, or ESPN, or the Post-Gazette will tell you, a solid running game will still get you places in the league. The Jaworski Theory that you have to pass to win does hold true in some respects. You do have to be able to throw a pass if you want to be able to win games (See: Jets, New York). However, you don't have to go gunslinging 50+ balls around the field. A balanced offense is the key to winning in the league, and that includes both passing and running. Look at New Orleans, they're a much better running team than people give them credit for. They may not rack up a ton of rushing yards, but they are able to run effectively when they want to and get the hard yards that they need to when it counts. Teams that forego their running game may see some temporary success in the weeks to come, but in the long run, success in this league is still predicated on having a balanced offense.

Week 1 Rundown

For those of you that have been reading our blog for a few years, the format of these weekly recaps is old news. For those of you who are new this year, well, you'll get the hang of it.

What We Learned

1. The Chargers still don't know how to play football in September.
2. Cleveland still sucks.
3. Young talent coming together is a beautiful thing. See: Kansas City. They might not be able to sustain it for the whole season, but it was great to see Arrowhead rocking again on Monday night. They're building the franchise well.
4. After all these years of football, the key to winning is having a balanced offense and playing good defense. Still. Thank you New Orleans for reminding us of this.
5. We thought the NFC West was the worst division in football, but the AFC West might give them a run for their money. Luckily, the divisions play each other this year, so we'll be able to track this as the season goes.

1. Dennis Dixon out-performing Mark Sanchez.
2. Watching all the over-hyped teams of the preseason (Cincinnati, New York Jets, Dallas, San Francisco) all lose.
3. Having Troy Polamalu back in the lineup. Really can't say how good this feels. He might be the only defender in the league that can shut down Chris Johnson.
4. Houston finally finding a running game and using it to run over, around, and through Indianapolis. 
5. Long field goals. Apparently there were a ton of them this week. Our favorite kicker outside of Pittsburgh, Mason Crosby, drilled a 56-yarder for Green Bay. Reed hit a 52-yarder, and there were others as well.

1. The rule that made Calvin Johnson's touchdown an incomplete pass. The rule is the rule, but that was a touchdown.
2. Injuries. This always sucks to see, especially when it's a guy like Kevin Kolb who is finally getting his big chance to play.
3. Running teams throwing the ball a crapload to times.
4. San Francisco. Period.
5. All-You-Can-Eat Buffets in the Kansas City Metropolitan area. With Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis on the Chiefs staff, are any of these places still in business?

Greg Lloyd "I Wasn't Hired For My Disposition" Award

Gary Kubiak

Flashback to April 29, 2006 and the national media firestorm that Houston had to endure for drafting Mario Williams over Reggie Bush, Vince Young, and Matt Leinart. New Coach Gary Kubiak looked at his team and addressed his biggest need: pass rushing. And guess what? In his 4 season in the league, Williams has averaged a shade under 10 sacks per season while Bush shares time with a slate of other running backs and just returned his Heisman Trophy. Young and Leinart have never been consistent starters, with Young being ousted by Kerry Collins for a spell and Leinart losing his job to Kurt Warner then not being able to beat out Derek Anderson for a starting job. All the while? Williams was busy ringing up quarterbacks, not missing a game since being drafted.

Bob Smizik "Douchebag of the Week" Award

Rex Ryan

This one was pretty easy. After running his mouth all offseason about how great his team was, guess what happened? Their offense put up an anemic 9 points and put forth an absolutely embarrassing performance. With the way their passing game looked, they could have Jerry Rice and Chris Carter running routes and it probably wouldn't matter. The defense looked good, when Antonio Cromartie wasn't trying to impregnate everything that walked. 

Starting on the Right Foot: Steelers Win

 9

15

After a rousing national anthem by a member of the Army band, the Steelers win the toss. No displays of solidarity from players today, just all business.

The offense comes out playing it safe, with running plays and short passes. Redman picks up a 3rd and 1 and 2nd and 1 with Mendenhall also converting a 2nd and 1 run to move the Steelers to the fringe of field goal territory. Dixon can't pick up a 3rd and 6 with his feet, but Jeff Reed bails us out by blasting a 52-yarder through the uprights. He had enough leg to put it through from 60.

3-0

Atlanta comes out and sputters on offense, only picking up a first down via penalty. Randle El gets a big cheer when he's announced as the punt returner.

The motif offense does nothing for us. Early season form. Run-run-pass-punt. Second round pick Jason Worlids gets his name called for the special teams tackle.

LaMarr Woodley records the first sack of the season on a bull rush on 3rd down, just blowing the tackle out of his shoes back into Ryan.

Motif offense. Dixon's pass skips off the turf just short of Wallace. Punt. Worlids makes another special teams tackle.

The Falcons start rolling when Matt Ryan starts looking for Roddy White, but after a first down the Steelers stack up Michael Turner on 3rd down and short thanks to a great play by Lawrence Timmons. Timmons looks night-and-day different in run defense this year. Vast improvement over last season.

Second Quarter

The motif offense is back, with Randle El making a 3rd down catch but coming up just short of the sticks. Superman pounds a 53-yard punt.

Matt Ryan converts two long-yardage scenarios with passes to White and Harry Douglas, but the defense holds, forcing a punt.

The Steelers come back, building off their strong running performance, mixing runs and passes. Dixon hit Heath over the middle for a big 17-yard gain and went back to the air with a nice pass downfield for Hines to pick up 21 and get into field goal range. On 2nd and 6, Dixon has Heath wide open but doesn't get enough air under the ball and it gets picked off by a linebacker. It was the right look, Heath was open, Dixon just needs to get more air under the ball and toss it over the LB instead of trying to throw it on a line to Heath.

The Falcons come out with an unbalanced line and go to the air, getting a favorable matchup with Douglas in the slot against Polamalu. They grind out another first down on the ground, then stall out. Bryant misses a 46-yarder wide right at the open end.

With just under 2 minutes to play, Dixon comes out to run the 2-minute offense. Dixon makes a big pass to Mike Wallace to convert a 3rd and 10, getting us across midfield. Randle El can't come up with a catch on 3rd and 6, and Tomlin calls for the kick team. From 55 yards out, Reed pegs one off the upright. It definitely had the leg.

With 22 seconds left, Matt Ryan comes out and makes something happen. A few quick passes down the field and using their timeouts gets the Falcons to field goal range. Bryant hits one from 49 to end the half.

3-3

Halftime

Nice performance from the Army Fife and Drum Corps.

Third Quarter

Atlanta gets the ball to start the second half and cashes in, driving down the field with Ryan converting two big passes to White and Gonzalez. The catch by Gonzalez was the 1000th of his career. They announce it in the stadium, the fans boo. The Falcons try the same pass 3 times looking for a 1-on-1 matchup down the right sideline. Ryan overthrows all 3. Woodley gets some pressure on 3rd down. Field goal.

3-6

Dixon finally takes a shot downfield and hooks up with Mike Wallace hanging out by the Wood Street T station for 53 yards. John Abraham blows past Max Starks on 2nd down and sacks Dixon, but Dennis steps up and slings one to Hines who comes up just short of the sticks. Reed ties it up.

6-6

Atlanta starts moving back down the field, looking poised to put more points on the board, but a sack by James Harrison where he eats the tackle for lunch sets things back around midfield. B-Mac makes a great play on 3rd down to break up a pass intended for White.

The Falcons dominated the field position battle all game. The Steelers started a ton of drives inside their own 15. Dixon tries to scramble on 3rd and 3, but gets called just short. In the stadium, it looked like he stretched the ball out past the sticks and made it, but nevertheless, punt time. The Steelers had the opportunity to run some time off the clock here, but opted to punt rather than letting the quarter expire.

Fourth Quarter

Two runs get the Falcons to 3rd and 2, but Willie Gay makes a great play to step in front of Gonzalez, almost coming up with a pick.

The Steelers start again from inside the 20. Dixon moves the troops down the field with two big passes for 20+ to Hines. Mendenhall grinds out a few more to get inside the 20, but the Steelers can't find the end zone. Reed gives us the lead back.

9-6

Atlanta strikes right back, moving slowly and methodically down the field, with Roddy White being the prime target. They get as close as the 5, but Ike Taylor makes a great tackle of White in space to  get him down short of the sticks, forcing the field goal.

9-9

The Steelers get the ball back with 3:24 to play and a chance to lead us to victory. He hits Hines and Heath to get across the 40. Tomlin makes one of the worst decisions since the Oceanic 6 left the island and takes a timeout with 2:05 left. Downright terrible coaching move. Why you ask? Well, the worst case scenario played itself out. Dixon gets sacked and the clock stops at the 2-minute warning. Dixon is sacked again on 3rd down and Atlanta uses a timeout to stop the clock at 1:53, giving them a chance to come back and win the game.

Thankfully, we have Troy.

Polamalu jumps an out-route to White, stepping right in front of him and toeing the sideline to give the Steelers the ball on the 30.

Mendenhall picks up 3 on first down, and Atlanta uses their 2nd timeout. Redman comes in and plows for 6 on 2nd down to set up 3rd and 1. Atlanta uses their last timeout. The Steelers talked all offseason about becoming a better running team, and this was a chance to show it. But Redman got stacked up on 3rd and 1, forcing a field goal try. Reed hooks it wide right with 40 seconds to play. I was at the game and couldn't tell, but people who saw it on TV said it started straight and the wind pushed it to the right. Either way, it was OT city.

Overtime

Atlanta won the toss and elected to receive.

Roddy White pulled in a catch on the sideline to pick up a first down and Atlanta's offense looked ready to roll. After a 3-yard run by Turner, Ryan couldn't hook up with White, setting up a big 3rd and 7. Ryan hit backup RB Jason Snelling out of the backfield to move the chains but...

Wait a tick!

Holding. Offense. 10 yards, repeat third down.

Ziggy gets pressure and Ryan can't find Norwood on 3rd and 17, so it's punt city.

Randle El's first real chance for a punt return was almost disastrous as Keyaron Fox gets blocked into him, but the ball takes a lucky hop in the other direction and the Steelers wind up with great field position right at midfield.

And then, on the first play from scrimmage...

RAISE 

SOME 

MENDEN-HELL

GAME.

Players of the Game
Offensive Game Ball: Rashard Mendenhall
Defensive Game Ball: Lawrence Timmons


Honorable Mentions:
Troy Polamalu
Bryant McFadden
LaMarr Woodley
James Harrison
Hines Ward
Dennis Dixon
Daniel Sepulveda
Jeff Reed

Mr. Yuck Sticker of the Game

Clock Management

Wow that was a horrible, horrible coaching decision to take a timeout with 2:05 to go in the game. If we had lost that game, it would have been solely on Tomlin's shoulders for using that timeout and giving the Falcons extra time on the clock.

Final Thoughts

• All around good team effort. Good to get a win on the board against a good team.
• Dixon was solid. No complaints in that department. He could have made a better throw on the INT, but he stood in under pressure very well and made some very nice throws. He also had some receivers drop balls.
• Randle El didn't have his best game, he should have made a few of those 3rd down catches, even if the passes were low.
• What a game by Hines. 6 catches for 108 yards. He's still got it.
• Maurkice Pouncey is a monster. He very well might be the best center we've had since Dermonti Dawson.
• Mendenhall talked in the preseason about how the coaches were working with him on "finishing" runs. He certainly did that at the end.
• Lawrence Timmons was absolutely everywhere on defense. Night and day from last year in run defense. He looked great.
• Having Polamalu back is huge. Wow.
• Clark still looks for the big hit rather than the ball. He could have had 2 INTs today if he even had the slightest idea where the ball was.
• Willie Gay looks pretty good as the nickel back.
• Sepulveda averaged 50.8 yards per kick. Wow. Superman indeed.
• Bryant McFadden had a great game as well. 12 tackles and an all around solid performance when he spent much of the day matched up against Roddy White. He made some big plays when he needed to in big situations to prevent completions or make tackles. Good to have B-Mac back.
• Jason Worlids had 3 tackles on Special Teams. He looked good out there.
• We held Michael Turner to only 42 yards. His long was 7. Great game by the run defense. It helps having Timmons play all over the field.
• Max Starks went down with a leg injury that looked pretty bad. Hope he's okay, but seeing him getting carted off the field wasn't a good sign.
• RAISE SOME.

Gameday 1: Atlanta Falcons

1:00

Heinz Field

TV: FOX

Radio: 102.5 WDVE

It's finally here. The moment we've been waiting for since January.

What to Watch For:

1. Dennis Dixon under center. Starting his second NFL game, Dixon should have a more expanded playbook than what he had in Baltimore last year. While the Steelers should look to run first, pass second, we would come out throwing because Atlanta would be expecting run. 

2. The new Offensive Line. The line looked mediocre to say the least in the preseason. Maurkice Pouncey is an absolute beast, but this game is going to be more about how the tackles deal with Atlanta's 4-3 defensive front. The Falcons like to blitz with their linebackers, and the tackles are going to have to deal with Atlanta's speed rushers to give Dixon time to throw.

3. Fourth Quarter Defense. Was last year a fluke? Will getting Polamalu and McFadden back help the secondary shut things down at the end of games? We'll see today.

4. Kick Coverage. This unit was abysmal last year, but keeping Anthony Madison on the roster should help. Special Teams beast Patrick Bailey was cut and signed by Tennessee, leaving a hole that hopefully Stevenson Sylvester, Jason Worlids, or Thaddeus Gibson can fill.

Behind Enemy Lines

This week's guest is our friend Scott from ScarDraft.com, a go-to source for NFL Draft information. For rabid fandom of Atlanta teams, and insights on draft prospects, follow Scott on Twitter.

1. Both teams are coming into this game with different perspectives. Atlanta is being dubbed as a potential contender in the NFC and are trying to get off to a fast start. The Steelers are just trying to get by until Ben Roethlisberger's suspension is over. What do you think Atlanta needs to do to walk away from Heinz Field with a victory?

Atlanta needs to do what any team that plays the Steelers will need to do: Stop the run, and run the ball well. With Michael Turner coming back healthy and the line having yet another full year under their belt, this could be a very hard running game to stop. The defense in Atlanta should also be much improved with not only Weatherspoon, but also Jerry and Robinson coming in to start.

2. Atlanta had one of the worst pass defenses in the league last year. Do you feel like they added enough to their defense this season to make a run at the division title?

Atlanta had a bad pass defense based on the yardage stats. With Jerry coming back and Peters coming in, as well as having Biermann really step up and Sidbury get more playing time, I think the defense will get much better against the pass. Not to mention the addition of Dunta Robinson to the secondary where the biggest hole was at the #1 CB spot last year.

3. The gameplan is obviously very different with Dennis "the Menace" Dixon under center. Do you think Atlanta will sit back and wait for Dixon to make a mistake, keeping a linebacker spy on him at all times or come after him with blitzes and trust in the secondary to hold down the fort?

Atlanta will treat Dixon just like they would treat any other starting QB and have a gameplan fully developed. Knowing the way Brian Van Gorder likes to scheme once he gets his type of personnel in there (and he finally has it), you will see a lot of Zone Blitzes as well as a lot of base cover 2.

4. Most people know the names of Atlanta's big playmakers -- Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Tony Gonzalez, and Roddy White. Any lesser-known (or under the radar) players that you think will have a big impact on this game?

Ryan, Gonzalez, Turner and White are all great, but Baker-Blalock-McClure-Dahl-Clabo will have a bigger impact. Also, watch out for Harry Douglas, Kroy Biermann, and Thomas Decoud.

5. Any other final thoughts?

Nope. Good luck this weekend. And may the better team, Atlanta, win!

GO STEELERS!!!!

Previews & Predictions Wrap-up

Over the last few months, we've done team-by-team previews for all 32 teams in the NFL. We've also thrown out our predictions on how teams will fare this season. Here's a quick recap of how we think things will play out.

Disclaimer - we're jokes, don't bet on anything we say happening. Also, we're shameless homers.

AFC East
1. Jets (10-6)
2. Patriots (9-7)
3. Dolphins (8-8)
4. Bills (4-12)

AFC North
1. Steelers (10-6)
2. Ravens (10-6)
3. Bengals (8-8)
4. Browns (5-11)

AFC South
1. Colts (12-4)
2. Texans (10-6)
3. Titans (9-7)
4. Jaguars (5-11)

AFC West
1. Chargers (10-6)
2. Broncos (7-9)
3. Raiders (6-10)
4. Chiefs (6-10)

AFC Playoffs
1. Colts
2. Chargers
3. Steelers
4. Jets
5. Ravens
6. Texans

Wild Card Round: Pittsburgh over Houston, Baltimore over New York

Divisional Round: Baltimore over Indianapolis, Pittsburgh over San Diego

Championship: Pittsburgh over Baltimore

NFC East

1. Giants (11-5)

2. Cowboys (10-6)

3. Redskins (7-9)

4. Eagles (6-10)

NFC North

1. Packers (12-4)

2. Vikings (9-7)

3. Bears (6-10)

4. Lions (4-12)

NFC South

1. Saints (11-5)

2. Falcons (10-6)

3. Panthers (8-8)

4. Buccaneers (5-11)

NFC West

1. 49ers (9-7)

2. Cardinals (8-8)

3. Seahawks (6-10)

4. Rams (3-13)

Playoffs

1. Packers

2. Saints

3. Giants

4. 49ers

5. Falcons

6. Cowboys

Wild Card Round: Falcons over 49ers, Giants over Cowboys

Divisional Round: Packers over Falcons, Saints over Giants

Championship: Packers over Saints

SUPER BOWL XLV: STEELERS OVER PACKERS

Yes, I know this was Peter King's pick as well, and he got a lot of scrutiny for it. But guess what? We run a Steelers blog and are allowed to be homers.

Preseason Power Rankings:

Top 5

1. New Orleans - Defending Super Bowl Champs stay at #1 until they prove they shouldn't be here.

2. Indianapolis - Super Bowl losers are #2 until someone beats them.

3. Green Bay 

4. New York Jets

5. San Diego

Bottom 5

1. St. Louis

2. Buffalo

3. Tampa Bay

4. Detroit

5. Cleveland

2010 Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers Offense

And we have come to the end of our season previews, and not a day too soon. We wrap things up with the only team in the league that really matters. The Steelers offense racked up a lot of yards last year, but didn't put up a whole lot of points. This year, the Steelers offense has plenty of challenges to overcome, from Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger being suspended for the first 4 games to the revamped offensive line, which features two new starters from last year's unit. To help yinz out with our lingo, we included our nicknames for each player. We spiced things up a bit by adding "theme songs" for each player.

Here's a look at the dramatis personae of our offense:

Quarterback

Dennis Dixon

"Dennis the Menace"/DTM

Dixon has been handed the reigns to start the season. He had his good and his bad times in the preseason, but we think he'll do just fine leading the troops. As long as Dixon doesn't try to force things, he'll be okay. He's got the athleticism and arm to make plays when he needs to and he has quick feet, which will come in handy with the Maginot Line in front of him.

Byron Leftwich

"Lord Byron"

Leftwich was supposed to be our starting QB to start the season before a knee injury sidelined him for at least one game, if not more. Leftwich has a cannon and looked more accurate than Dixon in the preseason but he isn't mobile at all, and he got beat up behind the Maginot Line in the preseason.

This was the only video on YouTube of this song. Luckily, we like LOST too, so it all works out.

Charlie Batch

"Homestead Charlie"

Batch has been a capable, but extremely fragile, backup over the last few years. Batch has missed parts of the last two seasons with injuries, and his lack of mobility and fragility led to the coaches choosing Dixon to start. Batch is perfectly capable of stepping in and leading the offense at any time, provided he doesn't break anything.

Suck it Jay-Z

Ben Roethlisberger

Clock, 007

If he can keep it in his pants, he's one of the best QBs in the league. That said, Ben has a lot to prove this season off the field. We all know what he can do on it, but Ben's redemption process isn't going to be solved simply by coming out and throwing for 400-yards and 5 TDs in a game. Nope, not going to do it. He needs to prove his long-term commitment to becoming a better person. That's not to say we're not going to applaud him for what he does on the field, but we're still withholding judgment on Ben until he proves, consistently over a long period of time, he is a changed person.

Running Back

Rashard Mendenhall

"Raise Some MendenHELL"/"Raise Some"

Mendenhall becomes the full-time feature back in his 3rd NFL season, and with Ben out for the first four games, chances are the Steelers will lean heavily on Mendenhall to carry the load. He is perfectly capable of doing this, but the Steelers need to monitor his carries and make sure they don't "run the wheels off him" like they did to Parker.

Mewelde Moore

Moore has been an excellent 3rd Down back over the past few seasons. He is one of the best receivers out of the backfield the Steelers have and is a decent blocker. He has also proven capable as a feature back when he needed to step in and carry the load for a game or two.

Isaac Redman

"Red Zone"

After a year on the practice squad, Isaac Redman is back and better than ever. The undrafted free agent out of Bowie State is a finisher who plows over defenders and just keeps his legs moving. We love the way he runs and hopes he gets the opportunity to showcase what he can do this season.

Jonathan Dwyer

The rookie from Georgia Tech led the team in rushing in the preseason. Dwyer has a ton of potential for the future, and will probably only see time on the active roster this season if one of the top 3 RBs goes down.

Wide Receiver

Hines Ward

Hines doesn't need a nickname.

Do we even need to talk about what Hines Ward brings to this team? He's one of the greatest Steelers in the great history of the franchise and owns pretty much every team receiving record.

Mike Wallace

"60 Minute Man"

Wallace steps into the #2 receiver role with a lot of fanfare after Santonio Holmes was shipped off to the Jets. As a rookie, Wallace showed an ability to stretch the field, and he has yet to be overthrown by any quarterback. He has blazing speed but also isn't afraid to go over the middle and make the tough catches. We love Mike Wallace.

Antwaan Randle El

"EL YEAH"

Man it's great to have Randle El back. Even though he's probably lost a step or two from the injuries he suffered in Washington, he showed in the preseason that his hands are as good as ever. El Yeah was a favorite 3rd down target of Ben's, and he'll likely be a prime contributor again in that department.

Arnaz Battle

Picked up in free agency from San Francisco, Battle showed enough in the preseason to warrant a spot on the team. Battle made some nice catches and despite not having great numbers in the past, he is a capable veteran with good hands that will also contribute on special teams.

Emmanuel Sanders

The Steelers 3rd round pick had a rough game in Denver but rebounded well in the last preseason game, hauling in the Steelers only touchdown on a pass from Dennis Dixon. Sanders, who got a lot of reps with the 2nd team, might be a secret weapon this season as he had a lot of reps with Dixon at quarterback, meaning there's a good chance they had developed a good rapport.

Antonio Brown

Brown will be the Steelers 11th kick returner in 11 years. Ousting Stefan Logan from the position, Brown has better straight-line speed and was deadly on crossing routes during the preseason. It'll be exciting to see him bringing the ball up the field. He gets north-and-south in a hurry.

Tight End

Heath Miller

"Miller Time"

Heath is well on his way to becoming the greatest tight end in Steelers history. He had a great year statistically last season, and while his stats may not be as good this year, due to him being called on to block more, we firmly believe Heath is one of the top 3 TEs in the league.

Matt Spaeth

Spaeth is a solid #2 TE that we wish saw more looks in the passing game. He is a big target with good hands, but will spend most of his time blocking.

David Johnson

Johnson will play the H-back role of 3rd TE and FB. He is a decent blocker, definitely better when blocking off the line than coming out of the backfield. He's also a decent receiver, but probably won't get a ton of looks.

Offensive Line
"Maginot Line"

Max Starks (LT)

Starks has been a fixture on our offensive line since our Super Bowl run in 2005. He lost his starting job at RT then reemerged as a LT when Marvel Smith went down in '08. LT is a more natural position for the left-handed Starks, and he has shown flashes of brilliance (shutting down Jared Allen and Elvis Dumervil last season) juxtaposed to downright awful games.

Epic bass solo.

Flozell Adams (RT)

"The Hotel"

Brought in from Dallas to provide stability on the line in the absence of Willie Colon, Adams will start for the first time in his career at RT. Adams has struggled with speed rushers and false starts in the past, and he'll see plenty of the former with the Steelers opponents this year.

Chris Kemoeatu (LG)

"Neckbeard"

He's no Alan Faneca, but Kemoeatu has been a serviceable LG while he has played. His best move is definitely as a pulling guard and his pass protection leaves a bit to be desired.

Trai Essex (RG)

Trai Essex has bounced back after some really bad games as a reserve LT and has found his groove at RG. Essex enters his second season as the starting RG, and he should be even better this year. He's going to have to be an anchor on the right side, playing between Flozell Adams who has never played RT before and rookie Maurkice Pouncey. 

Maurkice Pouncey (C)

Pouncey is the real deal. Anyone who questioned the decision to pick him in the first round is a moron.

Jonathan Scott (T)

Scott was brought in from Buffalo to add some depth to the line. He showed enough in the preseason for him to become the #1 backup at tackle. Like our other tackles, he struggled against speed rushers. New offensive line coach Sean Kugler is high on Scott, and should the Steelers use any unbalanced lines, Scott will likely see time.

Doug Legursky (G/C)

Legursky has been a backup in the Steelers offense for a year now, and can play both guard and center. Arians has also used him as a blocking back down on the goal line, in a formation we absolutely love.

No idea why we picked this one, but it's a great song.

Ramon Foster (G/T)

Foster was an undrafted free agent, but made the team last season and had a great year, starting a handful of games at LG for Chris Kemoeatu. While Foster's footspeed isn't as fast as Kemoeatu's, he's a mauler in the run game and has the build of a solid offensive lineman.

Tony Hills (T)

Hills really hadn't shown anything his first two years in the league, but offensive line coach Sean Kugler has lit the spark under Tony Hills and he looks better than ever this year. He very well grow into the RT of the future if his development continues.

Specialist

Jeff Reed

Reed has been solid his entire career with the Steelers, and despite his unhappiness with being paid over $2 million to kick a ball, we expect nothing less than the solid kicking we've seen from him in the past.

Obvious choice.

Check back in later for our look at the Steelers defense.

Can't wait for Sunday.

2010 Preview: Baltimore Ravens

2009 Record: 9-7

2009 Rankings:

Total Offense - 13

Run Offense - 5

Pass Offense - 18

Scoring Offense - 9

Total Defense - 3

Run Defense - 5

Pass Defense - 8

Scoring Defense - 3

Those of you that have been reading us for a whole know that we stick to a Harry Potter theme for Baltimore. Why? Because Ian was watching a Ravens-not the Steelers game and not really paying attention and could have sworn he heard Al Michaels say "Voldemort" instead of "Baltimore." They do kinda sound alike if you're not paying attention. Or Ian is just a joke.

Baltimore's success will once again rest on their patchwork secondary. Ed Reed is out at least 6 weeks with a broken hip from falling down without his LifeAlert necklace on. The rest of Baltimore's secondary are guys who are less well-known than the cast of The Wire. On offense, Joe Flacco finally has some weapons in the passing game, and Ray Rice is a beast in the backfield. Baltimore's O-line gets a lot of credit that they probably don't deserve. Why's that? Just watch their tackles get dominated by Harrison and Woodley again this year.

Ian's Prediction: 10-6