Steelers point/counterpoint: Are Bills a real test?

[SteelersWoman]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_527063.html

By Scott Brown and John Harris
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, September 13, 2007


Steelers columnist John Harris and beat writer Scott Brown go back and forth over whether the Steelers will get tested Sunday when they play the Buffalo Bills at Heinz Field.


http://www.pittsburghlive.com/mugshots2/sbrown.jpg Brown: I haven't seen a beating like the one the Steelers put on the Browns since you told James Harrison he ought to wear a dress when he is on the field. I suppose there is a chance the Steelers will be a tad overconfident but they have too many veterans to fall into the trap of overlooking the Bills. I think Buffalo keeps it close for a half but the Steelers still win the game rather handily.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/mugshots2/jharris.jpg Harris: This is definitely a "trap" game for the Steelers. It's a game they should win before they even take the field. But the Bills are better than Cleveland. Actually, there are 31 other NFL teams better than the Browns, so the Steelers had better watch their step. I don't think the Steelers will look past Buffalo, but it's human nature to have a letdown after beating Cleveland 34-7. It's coach Mike Tomlin's job to see that they don't.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/mugshots2/sbrown.jpg Brown: The Steelers will play against a considerably better quarterback, but I hardly think J.P. Losman will cause defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau any sleepless nights this week. The one thing that should be a concern for the Steelers is how emotionally charged the Bills will be Sunday. They'll play their hearts out for fallen teammate Kevin Everett, and they should be inspired by the very encouraging news regarding his long-term prognosis. The Steelers better not come out flat Sunday but I don't think they will since it is their home opener.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/mugshots2/jharris.jpg Harris: Emotion can be a fleeting thing. It only lasts for so long. Then you're staring down the barrel of one of LeBeau's zone blitzes. I'm sure the Bills may play a little harder for their fallen teammate, but unless Buffalo discovers a cure for Losman's happy feet in the pocket, it could be another long day for the Bills' offense in general and their passing game in particular.


http://www.pittsburghlive.com/mugshots2/sbrown.jpg Brown: Well, it's pretty safe to assume that it's going to be a long day for running back Marshawn Lynch. The rookie looked good in his NFL debut last week but the Steelers haven't allowed a running back to rush for 100 yards in a game since November of 2005. If Lynch does it Sunday then maybe the Bills will have finally found a worthy successor to Thurman Thomas in their backfield. But I think you have a better chance of getting asked to sing the "National Anthem" before the game as Lynch does of getting 100 against James Farrior, Larry Foote and Co. during it.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/mugshots2/jharris.jpg Harris: Instead of wondering if Lynch can do the impossible and rush for 100 yards against the Steelers, why not focus on the Steelers' running game? As in, can Willie Parker rush for 100 yards for the second straight week? I'm a lot more concerned about the Steelers offense than I am about the Steelers' defense. The Steelers rushed for 206 yards against Cleveland. That's a lot of yards, even against a Pop Warner team. And it says a lot for an offensive line that's allegedly the Steelers' weak link.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/mugshots2/sbrown.jpg Brown: Still could be a weak link or, to be fair, a question mark. The bulk of the those rushing yards came in the second half when the Browns' defense was tired and demoralized. And it was, well the Browns. A buddy of mine might have put it best when he emailed some colleagues in Cleveland and posed the question of which is worse: not having an NFL team to root for or having to root for what the Browns have been since Cleveland got another football team. Ouch.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/mugshots2/jharris.jpg Harris: The Steelers did what a good team is supposed to do: they beat a bad team badly. If the Steelers had lost to the Browns, or had struggled to win, their players and coaches would never have heard the end of it. The Steelers' second challenge is to beat another team that isn't a juggernaut. So I guess we're right back where we started: will the Steelers look overlook Buffalo?

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/mugshots2/sbrown.jpg Brown: What was the Steelers' first challenge?




http://www.pittsburghlive.com/mugshots2/jharris.jpg Harris: Not looking a gift horse in the mouth.

[Koopa]

they better not look past the bills, this is gonna be an emotional game for the bills, and will probably want to come out and beat the steelers for kevin everett, so the steelers better match their entensity and come out firing......

[BlitzburghRockCity]

That's exactly right, this is the type of game that we would either lose before or would come real close to losing because the team would look past the Bills or wait until the last minute to "turn it on" and just barely win. This is a big test for us, absolutely, the Bills finished out the season strong last year and they have a lot of confidence.

[Black@Gold Forever32]

But its the Bills........They do have great special teams.....But their offense and defense have a ton of question marks....Now Lynch is a very good RB and had a solid first game....But no RB runs for 100 yards on the Steelers....So the Steelers will shut him down.....With out a running game the Bills will go pass happy and they don't have the Oline to protect Losman from the Steelers creative blitzes.......What Losman does best is throw the deep ball.....He won't have the time to do so....The Bills only WR that scares me is Lee Evans...I'm sure the Steelers will give him enough attention to make him a non factor....The other Bills WRs are nothing to scream about....The Bills don't have a TE that can beat the Steelers zone when they blitz......So no worry there...

The Bills don't have a great defense and they're a banged up unit right now to....So the Steelers offense should have a big day vs the Bills D....

If the Steelers special teams can prevent the Bills special teams from any big game changing plays then I don't see how the Bills can stay competitive in this game....I think the Steelers win 38-6.....

[SteelerSteve]

But its the Bills........They do have great special teams.....But their offense and defense have a ton of question marks....Now Lynch is a very good RB and had a solid first game....But no RB runs for 100 yards on the Steelers....So the Steelers will shut him down.....With out a running game the Bills will go pass happy and they don't have the Oline to protect Losman from the Steelers creative blitzes.......What Losman does best is throw the deep ball.....He won't have the time to do so....The Bills only WR that scares me is Lee Evans...I'm sure the Steelers will give him enough attention to make him a non factor....The other Bills WRs are nothing to scream about....The Bills don't have a TE that can beat the Steelers zone when they blitz......So no worry there...

The Bills don't have a great defense and they're a banged up unit right now to....So the Steelers offense should have a big day vs the Bills D....

If the Steelers special teams can prevent the Bills special teams from any big game changing plays then I don't see how the Bills can stay competitive in this game....I think the Steelers win 38-6..... I do think the bills are an underrated team, but I dont think they are on the steelers level, and unless we take them WAY lightly, then I don't see us losing at home against them, I see the score being something like 28-7:helmet:

[memphissteelergirl]

Brown: I haven't seen a beating like the one the Steelers put on the Browns since you told James Harrison he ought to wear a dress when he is on the field.


:haha::haha:

[AZ_Steeler]

I think the Bills would a better test than the Browns were, although it's close. In a way this schedule is working out to the Steelers favor more and more every week when you sit back and actually look at their opponents. Since they are starting with these scrub teams, it gives them a chance to work on things, get their timing down and build confidence! Then when they play these harder teams later on in the season they will be more than prepared and should be firing on all cylinders by then!

[MotoF150]

yes I agree the Bills will be the Steelers first test. The Browns were soooo bad, that it made the Steelers look good. Nobody in the Vegas Odds picked the Steelers to win more than 8 games this year, and you know and I know Vegas is always right

[BlitzburghRockCity]

On paper we should win this game in pretty easy fashion but as they always say... " That's why they play the game" . If we stay focused there's no reason we should lose this game but important thing to remember is that we are in the "easier" part of our schedule right now, after the mid way point of the season it gets tougher so it's imperative that we win as many as we can now to help even out the tougher games we have coming up.

[K Train]

we cant lose in the throwbacks....it cant happen lol

[BlitzburghRockCity]

The Chargers power blue's don't have anything on our throwbacks ! :bluelol:

[K Train]

oh and this will be our 500th win, first team to do that......with the throwbacks and its the home opener

[BlitzburghRockCity]

Hell yeah, there's so much emotion going into this game:

-home opener
-Tomlin's first home game
-throw back uniforms
-75th season

Bring on the Bills !!!

[DBR96A]

Actually, we'd only be the first AFC team to win 500 games. There are four NFC teams that have more than 500 (Bears, Giants, Redskins, and one other team that I forget). We were tied with the Rams until last week.

[K Train]

packers?