Where We Rank After Week 2

[BlackGold4vr]

Total Offense - 16th
Rushing Offense - 28th
Passing Offense - Tied - 7th

Total Defense - 9th
Rushing Defense - Tied - 7th
Passing Defense - 19th


The pass defense is suffering without Troy and we also haven't seen the pressure we saw from our pass rush last year. 2 games, 2 sacks total, that aint gonna cut it! Those two things together are why we rank 19th.

The problem with the offense is obvious. Our inability to run the ball and gain a single yard when we need it will continue to haunt this offense. Only 4 teams have fewer rushing yards than us. Some of you might say its because we are more of a passing team now. If we had more success doing it, we would do more of it! The inefficiencies of the rushing attack force our offense to rely more on the pass. A balanced attack is always the best because it keeps the defenses honest. Teams just don't respect our running game right now. No changes in that on the horizon.

[BlitzburghRockCity]

The defense indeed suffers without Troy, he affects both the passing and rush defense. When Troy comes up behind the defensive line threatens to shoot the gap, or line up on the outside and comes in behind Harrison or Wood, that makes everybody on the OL pause and it's such an advantage for us. Of course in the passing game he's a monster hitter and his nose for the football and making WR's hear footsteps in a huge advantage for us. Without him in there we are not as good it's as simple as that.

He's not our entire defense, we all know that, we have great play makers all around but he does make a difference. The pass rush or lack thereof is a concern right now, even after only 2 games mainly because this is the same defense as last year so there's no excuse to not be going 100 miles per hour to get to the QB. It's not time to throw in the Terrible Towel yet of course but the defense especially in this case needs to take it upon themselves to step up again and help this team out till the offense gets it's act together.

[Stlrs4Life]

I just think it's too early to look at numbers after 2 games. The Titans have an excellent Oline and Cutler got rid of the ball quickly with short passes to avoid taking sacks. It's not like he was sitting back there with all day to throw. Yes he did complete some midrange passes, but so does every other team. But if you want to compare teams, the Cowboys have 0 sacks, the Jets have 2, and the Giants have 3, so I wouldnt worry just yet. The Steelers are #9 in total yds/game, and more importantly are #5 in points/game.

[BlackGold4vr]

I just think it's too early to look at numbers after 2 games.

I agree that the numbers are not everything but they are indicators of where you are at right now. That doesn't mean anything about where you might end up. Saying that its too early to worry about numbers is usually an indication that you are not pleased with what those numbers are saying. You can and should look at these rankings all throughout the season. They are indicators of how your team is performing both offensively and defensively compared to their competition.

[BlacknGold Bleeder]

The thing that bothers me most is only 2 sacks, we are not getting to the QB. Granted we may be applying pressure but a QB should always have a couple of sacks to give them a little something more to think about...

[BlitzburghRockCity]

The sacks will come, yeah it sucks that our number is low right now but it is indeed early. The thing that concerns me is not so much the sacks as it is the lack of pressure we're that we're generating overall. I'm quite sure Lebeau isn't holding anything back with the defensive schemes so it's a matter of execution on defense and something that a team like ours must see improvement in. We rely on our defense BIG time so it's imperative for them to repeat a performance like last year or atleast get close to those numbers.

[Sir Blitzelot]

The running game can only improve at this point, I think by the end of the season the Steelers' rushing offense will rank in the teens somewhere . Obviously, the defense is going to take a hit while Polamalu is out of the lineup.

[steelers4life66]

I don't even start looking at ranks til wk 5 or 6.

[Stlrs4Life]

The thing that bothers me most is only 2 sacks, we are not getting to the QB. Granted we may be applying pressure but a QB should always have a couple of sacks to give them a little something more to think about...

Or the turn overs.

[AZ_Steeler]

The offense sucks because Willie Parker can't do a thing running the ball! Yes, it's only been two weeks and let the "Parker Sucks" rants begin. Nothing against Parker as a person, but as a runner in the NFL he just doesn't cut it. He needs a hole big enough for a Mack truck to go through so he can build up his speed. If he's met at the line he's done! He does absolutely nothing to try and push the pile or break a tackle. You hit him and he goes down... It's time to phase him out, trade him or something because the Steelers rushing offense will continue to be soft as long as Parker is "attempting" to run the ball.

Parker has all of 66 yards in 2 games for a staggering 2.4 yards per game!!! Mendenhall on the other hand has 45 yards in 2 games and is averaging 6.4 per carry... Hell Moore even has a better YAC than Parker! Parker does not get the job done, he needs to be gone, benched or whatever! Bottom line is, as long as Parker is the RB the Rushing O is going to suck and the Steelers will need to rely on Ben to win the game through the air...