Steelers Need To Be Prepared In All Phases To Beat Bears

"If you're failing to prepare, you're preparing to fail."

The Chicago Bears come into Pittsburgh Sunday night to face a Steelers team that has yet to win a game. The Steelers offense has been anemic the first two weeks and the defense, while solid, hasn't been the top three unit Steelers fans are used to seeing. As well, special teams will be sorely tested.

After facing Chris Johnson and a Titans team that ran the ball 42 times and a Bengals team that ran it 34 times for a combined 239 yards, that defense is going to be tested yet again by a Bears team led by Matt Forte who averaged 4.4 yards per carry last week against the Minnesota Vikings.

They must be prepared for more of the same until they prove they can stop it.

"He is an experienced, talented back and he can do everything. He can block, he can run, he can catch passes...", defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said in Coordinator's Corner on Thursday. "He's one of those backs you have to stop. He's really an excellent player, maybe an underrated player."

Forte's 138 rushing yards in two games are just part of the deal the Steelers will get Sunday night. As LeBeau alluded to, Forte has also caught 14 passes so far this season. 

Forte makes quarterback Jay Cutler that much better, also. Because when Forte is collecting yards it keeps defenders off of Cutler and he then can be more effective. When he is, his favorite target is 6'4" 230-pound wide receiver Brandon Marshall who already has 15 catches for 217 yards and a 14.5 yards per catch average.

Cutler is a tough quarterback who does have his Big Ben-lite moments. The difference being that if you hit Cutler enough, he will start to force throws and make mistakes.

The secondary must also be prepared to contain Marshall, an assignment that will fall mainly on the shoulders of Ike Taylor. Marshall simply can’t be allowed to make multiple catches down field. The last time Marshall faced Taylor, he was held to five catches for 57 yards when the Steelers beat the Miami Dolphins 23-22. The Bears' playmaker remembers and he is preparing for the rematch.

"He's one of the best in the business," Marshall said. "It seems like he's getting better as he ages. I remember a few years ago playing against him in Miami. I disrespected him a little bit. I didn't do my film study and I got out there and he did some things that really put me in a tough spot. So I've been...watching a lot of film because I have a lot of respect for this guy and no longer will I overlook him." - http://tinyurl.com/m82xfav

But, just containing players when they're on offense isn't enough. As LeBeau said, "we definitely have to get the ball turned over for our guys." - http://bit.ly/19lpJ7F

While turnovers on defense are important, preventing them on offense is paramount. Like If It Ain't Steel has said many times as well as in our last article, execution is of primary concern. Preparation is important there too.

"Football is pretty simple...", offensive coordinator Todd Haley said, "protect the football and don't turn it over."

But, it has been anything but "simple." The 88 yards that Forte ran for last week was more than the Steelers have run for as a team this season. They have also turned the ball over too often, including in drive-killing situations that essentially took points off of the board.

It's a trend that has quarterback Ben Roethlisberger frustrated.

"Very frustrating," Roethlisberger said. "We've got a long way to go. We're going to...let this sink in for a day or two, then get ready for Chicago."

Get ready is right. With the offensive line and turnover problems the team has been having, facing a defense with that front four and that is known for turning the ball over is daunting to say the least. A defense led by Charles "Peanut" Tillman.

At this point, Tillman is questionable and a game-time decision. If he is available to the Bears, here's what he brings to the table: for his career, Tillman owns most of the Bears' defensive back records; he is the career leader in defensive touchdowns (9), pass deflections (126) and forced fumbles (37), third in interceptions (33) and fourth in tackles. He has averaged 3.3 interceptions a year, 3.7 forced fumbles a year (including 10 in 2012), 12.6 pass deflections a season and 70.4 tackles a year.

Yet, the x-factor in all of this may be return man Devin Hester who compiled 249 return yards, including an 80 yarder, against the Vikings. Hester needs no introduction...in fact, just watch (I recommend sitting down first): http://youtu.be/zd8iS4zpYbQ

Failing to prepare for him is most certainly preparing to fail.

As we said in our last article which covered the seven keys needed for a win and for a turnaround for the season, unleashing Markus Wheaton and Antonio Brown in a quick-strike no-huddle offense and the return of Heath Miller will go a long way towards a win. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2013/09/rebuilding-mode-what-seven-factors-can.html

Bottom line: stop Forte, hit Cutler (a lot), contain Marshall, force turnovers, prevent offensive turnovers, contain Hester (not that anyone ever has) and just execute.

Sounds "simple," doesn't it? If they prepare accordingly, it could be.

~

TIDBITS: Steelers practice/injury report: CB Cortez Allen is out; RB Le'Veon Bell is questionable (he won't play). All others, including TE Heath Miller, are probable.

If It Ain't Steel's NFL Mid-Season Reports And Predictions

The NFL season is at the midway point and we at If It Ain’t Steel are going to throw our predictions out there at the midway point along with some others. Week nine is in the books and we're now at a crucial point for a lot teams. This is the time of year when the cream rises to the top and the men separate themselves from the boys.

Starting off, we are going to talk mid-season MVP. The clear cut winner right now has to be Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons. Matty Ice, or the “Matural” as he has been called as of late, has the Falcons sitting at 8-0 and has been playing rather well a fifth year starter. Do we think that he will win the MVP hands down, if it was decided today? Yes, but it's not being decided today, so time will tell. There are some very viable candidates out there who could make a case for having their names mentioned in this discussion.

One who could emerge from the rubble as the 2012 NFL MVP is "The Sheriff”, Peyton Manning. He is playing extremely well coming of a neck injury (and four neck surgeries) that sidelined him for all of 2011, so I would not stick the fork in him just yet. There is also his little brother Eli who is having a very good season as well. Then there are also ones like Drew Brees, Percy Harvin, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger who are leading for their teams in the right direction. So, as of right now there is no clear cut winner.

If It Ain’t Steel's Prediction: Peyton Manning

As of right now, the Defensive Player of the Year is clearly J.J. Watt's to lose. He is playing lights out on defense and leads the league in sacks (10.5) and has been batting down passes like a wild man (10...as a DEFENSIVE END). He is helping this Texans defense show why they are to be feared and one of the most complete defenses in the league. Bears cornerback Tim Jennings is making a good case for consideration as well with a league-leading six interceptions, one for a touchdown, and 15 passes defended. Clay Matthews is making a good case, as is Demarcus Ware, but I again say it is Watt's to lose.

If It Ain’t Steel's Prediction: J.J. Watt

Comeback Player of the Year is also Peyton Manning’s to lose. He came back this season under the cloud of “can he play like the Peyton that we are all used to?” It turns out that the answer is a resounding "yes!" He sat out all last season and a lot of people, including myself, thought he would never be the Peyton of old. But, he proved me and a lot of others wrong. He is playing very well and, just like always, is making no-name receivers household names. Adrian Peterson is also a consideration as he leads the NFL in rushing (957 yards) through eight games after missing most of last season with a devastating knee injury. Matt Schaub’s name could also be put into this mix, coming off a foot injury last season and having the Texans poised to take the first seed in the AFC. Time will tell.

If It Ain’t Steel's Prediction: Peyton Manning

Rookie of the Year is still up for grabs in my opinion. Yes, right now Robert Griffin III is the front runner, but don’t count Andrew Luck out of this race just yet. Luck has been impressive so far in his rookie campaign as well, including setting a single-game rookie record Sunday for passing with 433 yards. He does not have the running yards that RGIII has, but he is playing well and has the Indianapolis Colts already at a better record than they had at this point in the season last year and is slowly making the people of Indy forget about that other guy. Russell Wilson is also playing well, but I believe this one will be a tight two-man race until the end.

If It Ain’t Steel's Prediction: Andrew Griffin 1.5

Coach of the Year is a tough one in my opinion. These guys are responsible for what goes on with their teams. If their team is having a bad season, then it is their name that gets tossed around as being on the proverbial hot seat. If the award was given today it would go to Mike Smith. The Falcons are playing perfect ball right now, but won't go undefeated.

Another coach that sticks out to me who should be in the conversation is Gary Kubiak of the Texans. The Texans are 7-1 and playing almost as well as the Falcons. They had one bad game against the Green Bay Packers, but that happens to teams. How did they respond? They came back and knocked the feathers off of the Baltimore Ravens, a team they had never beaten. They scored the most points in a single game in their franchise history and controlled the game almost from start to finish.

Another that could be in this conversation soon is John Harbaugh of the Ravens. If the Ravens manage to take the North and the second seed in the AFC with the injuries they have piled up, then he very well should be. He probably won’t be, however, because Mike Tomlin was not named coach of the year when he led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 3-1 record without their starting quarterback, to a 12-4 overall record and to the Super Bowl again in 2010. But, I do not personally see the Ravens keeping the second seed, but just some food for thought.

If It Ain’t Steel's Prediction: None yet. It can still be any one of several coaches.

OK, now that we have those predictions out of the way, we want to touch on another prediction that everyone will start making now: which team will go to the Super Bowl and win it all. The NFC is not as much of the jumbled mess right now that the AFC is. There are several teams right at or above .500 that could very well make a late season push, so things are not completely written in stone yet in the AFC. I think the only team that is close to set in stone is the Texans. They're currently the #1 seed, are the most complete team in the AFC and I just do not see them going into any sort of spiral.

So, this is what I like to call my spin on this, or what my partner-in-writing calls “Jaydenisms." We do this a lot when coming up with ideas for our blog, we bounce off each other ideas and then the pieces take life. This one was no different. So, here goes some food for thought, so to speak.

There has not been a team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since the New England Patriots did it in '03 and '04, to find the next team to do it goes back to '97, '98 Broncos. So, to be a repeat champ is even harder than taking it all the first time. There have only been three teams since the 2003 season to represent the AFC and those were the Patriots ('03, '04, '07, and '11), the Colts ('06 and '09) and the Steelers ('05, '08 and '10). We predict that will change this year, but we will touch on that a little later.

The NFC on the other hand has only had one team to make a repeat appearance in that time frame - the New York Giants. Every year since '04 there has been a different NFC team represent the conference. So, the Giants being the current SB champs and representatives of the NFC does not assure them of going to the big dance.

For instance, in 2010 the New Orleans Saints went marching in to Seattle as the reigning champions. They were to play a team that was 7-9 and had won their conference. I'm sure they were thinking that this would be an easy win considering they were 11-5 and, again, the reigning champs. They thought wrong. Marshawn Lynch went Beast Mode on them with a 67-yard touchdown run by mowing down a supposedly good Saints defense. He made them look like a high school defense. Junior varsity. Similarly, last year the Packers, coming off a SB win and a 15-1 record got sent packing despite hosting a 9-7 Giants team on the (in my best John Facenda voice) frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.

Recently, though, the team that gets hot at the right time seems to be the team to take the championship regardless of the conference. Don’t believe me? Look back at who has gone to the SB six of the past seven seasons (Steelers, Colts, Giants, Arizona Cardinals, Packers and Giants). Those teams came from the wildcard rounds and all except one went on to win it all.

So, it really doesn't matter what your record is going in to the playoffs, it matters how you are playing when you get there. Right now, the Falcons are the best team in the NFC right now, but history has shown that it may not matter who has the best record. It is more of one of those “who wants it more” kind of things. Note the examples above.

That gets me to another point: just because a team looks good right now, and has a great record, does not mean they are going to be the team to beat. History has shown that a team with a sub-par early record can get hot late and win it all. Just because a team is sitting at or below .500 does not mean that they are done by any means.

Anything can happen. There are still a lot of games to be played and some of these teams sitting with winning records right now can see that change in a hurry. There are several teams that start out hot and falter second half of the season. Maybe they benefitted from an easy early schedule and then face better opponents late. Maybe they lose key players for the season. Maybe rivals want to play spoiler because they have nothing else left for which to play.

For teams that surge at the end of the season, the reverse could have been the case. Once early-season injuries that had initially set them back are behind them, they suddenly are true contenders. There are lots of things that factor into why.

The teams that stand out to me that are in that boat in the AFC are the San Diego Chargers, Broncos, Steelers and Colts. Those four teams could very well make the playoffs or end another teams playoff dreams, depending on the scenario. All four of these teams have the ability to turn their seasons around they are already on that path and could be spoilers for the ones sitting on top right now. Time will tell, because, again, there is a lot of season left.

So, to end this we are going to make our prediction of who we think will make the Super Bowl this year. It may surprise some people. But, hey, we aren’t known to think inside of the box, now are we?

If It Ain’t Steel's Super Bowl Prediction: Texans vs. Bears

I know, we don't have our Steelers in the big dance. We have a lot of work to do, even after the Giants win. And let’s face it, we're not delusional, we are realistic. The Texans are the best team in the AFC and are going to be hard to put out of the playoffs if they play at home. The Bears are getting it together and quietly demolishing teams. Jay Cutler and crew will be hard to beat the second half of the season.

Trust us, we hope our Steelers prove us wrong, we would love nothing more. And if they do, that is one big helping of crow we will be more than glad to eat.