Pittsburgh Must Learn From Cobra Kai’s Mistakes and “Show No Mercy” to Denver

What Should Have Happened/Needs To Happen

The thing that always bothered me about what happened to the Cobra Kai’s in The Karate Kid is the fact that none of them even stepped up to stop LaRusso from getting into the final match.  They just let him keep going along, winning match by match, until Daniel got to the finals against Johnny where anything could happen.  Dutch, Jerry, etc. simply failed to stop a kid who learned karate only a couple of moths before!

Instead of instilling discipline in his students and going to the tried and true “sweep the leg” and “no mercy” mantras, Kreese had to resort to dirty tactics and got Bobby to try and take Daniel “out of commission.”  Bobby’s kick to Daniel’s knee almost worked, but Daniel’s injury only seemed to inspire him, and strike fear in Johnny, Sensei Kreese, and the rest of the Cobra Kai’s.

After falling behind 0-2, Kreese finally give the order to Johnny to “sweep the leg” on Daniel.  Down 0-2?!  The leg should have been swept by one of the Cobra Kai’s in Round 1!  Not the final match with everything riding on it!  Daniel’s confidence needed to be shaken from the start, not at the very end.  Where was the “leg sweep” and “no mercy” attitude at the beginning of the tournament?  Johnny scored 2 points in a row to tie the match by “sweeping the leg” and showing “no mercy.”  Daniel should have been “finished” before the match even started.

But what does all of this have to do with the Steelers and what they should do to the Broncos on Sunday?  Well, pretty much everything, because to win, the Steelers need to show “no mercy” and “sweep the leg” right out of the gate.

“No Mercy” Must Be Shown By The Steelers

Make no bones about it, Pittsburgh’s #1 Ranked Defense needs to lay the hammer down on Tebow and the Broncos’ Offense right out of the gate.  The Steelers need to crowd 8 in the box and just smother the run because that is all that Denver has.  And there is no way that the guy with the 47% completion percentage will win the game if he is forced to throw against the League’s #1 Pass Defense.

Last Week for instance, Denver’s only score on 12 possessions was courtesy of a muffed punt recovery deep in Kansas City territory.  The entire game Tebow did nothing, and if Pittsburgh stops McGahee and the running game, I hope their Defense intimidates and beats the tar (legally of course) out of Tebow.  His confidence has already been shaken by three straight losses, now it’s time to ruin his confidence for good, by unleashing Hell.

But stopping and intimidating Denver’s Offense is only half the battle, the Steelers Offense must produce points early and often to kill any confidence that the Broncos may have going into Sunday’s showdown.  Despite the fact that Denver’s Defense has improved, they are still ranked 20th in the League in Total Yards per game given up and were shelled in their games against New England and Buffalo.

It’s not like the Steelers will have to go blow for blow like they would against the Saints or Patriots, but Ben and the Offense must secure at least 3 scoring drives in the First Half (at least 2 TD’s) to get Denver behind the proverbial “8-ball.”  If Denver is down by 14+ at Half, consider the game over because the fans will on the edge of their seats and moving towards the exits, and Tebow will be forced to chuck the ball around for the duration of the contest.  Then as long as Dick LeBeau doesn’t go “Prevent,” the Steelers should coast.

Conclusion

Please Steelers, use Cobra Kai’s costly mistake to your advantage.  Show Denver and Tebow “no mercy” from the start and they won’t know what hit them.  It does your team no good to let an inferior foe hang around and hang around until they strike back at the worst possible moment.

How the heck do you think Denver won 6 games in a row?!  They didn’t blow anybody out, they simply hung around and pounced on their oppositions’ inability to put them away.  Show this inferior opponent the door on their own home field and illustrate to the N.F.L. that their rules regarding Playoff seeding are a farce.

I believe in you guys, so go out there and “Sweep the Leg,” and all will be fine!

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