Steelers Morning Huddle 7/11/13

Dec 23, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) throws a pass against the Cincinnati Bengals during the second half of the game at Heinz Field. The Bengals won the game, 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

Today I found several articles making predictions for the 2013 season.  While we are all still in the speculation phase and some of it might be wildly speculative, it still makes for interesting reading.  I also found one that is complementary of Ben Roethlisberger’s style of plan – a rare find indeed.  See what you think.

Roethlisberger’s Unconventional Play

Sam Monson, of Pro Football Focus, looked at the Roethlisberger’s style of play compared to other quarterbacks.  As Steelers fans, we know about how the play has become identifiable with the Steelers.  Monson states:

"There is endless debate among anybody who covers the Steelers as to how much he hurts or helps his offensive line given the length of time he holds the ball vs. his ability to extend plays, but there is so much more to his game than just scrambling for his life until a throw opens up.”"

Monson conjures up images of Brett Favre, Dante Culpepper and even Fran Tarkenton.  He looks at Roethlisberger’s ability to sell the pump fake.  He says that no one does it better.  I hadn’t really thought about it, but I guess, after all this time, it is still drawing off defenders so he really knows how to sell it.  All in all, it is a complimentary article.  If you are a fan of quarterbacks or just Roethlisberger, it’s a nice look at a few of his great plays.

How will the Defensive Line Look without Harrison?

Dustin Hockensmith, of Pennlive.com, looked at the projected starters for the Steelers defensive line and SPOILER ALERT! he doesn’t put Jarvis Jones in there.  I’ve seen other articles practically anointing Jones as a Rookie MVP and I have always contended that is a lot of pressure.  Jones has huge potential, no doubt.  I agree with Hockensmith that Jason Worilds will be in the starting line up and Jones is in the back-up role at first.  It is also interesting that Hockensmith lists Sean Spence as a key reserve.  So many people are hoping he makes it back to the game.  It must be great to have that many people believing in you and rooting for you.

Replacing Veterans

Clyde Speller, of RantSports, put out a slide show of 5 previous Steeler veterans and their predicted replacements.  One surprise is that he sees Emmanuel Sanders replacing Mike Wallace.  I favor Antonio Brown as the lead WR, but Speller, is a brief statement, thinks Sanders can make the big plays.  He also waffled a bit on Harrison’s replacement and said it would be Worilds/Jones.  I guess we’ll see after training camp, right?

AFC Breakout players

Frank Cooney, of The Sports Xchange, wrote an article for Yahoo! Sports predicting some breakout players.  The article is brief and has some interesting points.  For the Steelers, he predicts that Le’Veon Bell will be the breakout player.  Based on the disappointment in the running game last year, I think that anything that will give it a spark is possible.  I think Bell might see more playing time that Jarvis Jones at first, but I also doesn’t see him starting at first, similar to Jones.

More Rankings

I guess it is big business to rank the NFL teams.  Maybe there is some sort of prize for getting it right before you see how the team is set up as you get to the later preseason games.  Bleacher Report is no exception and has added to the mix.  Justin Onslow contributed a set of rankings for everyone’s reading (or teeth-grinding) pleasure.  The Steelers rank 14th with the Ravens and the Bengals sprinkled in the list ahead (outranking) of them.  The statements justifying the rankings are very brief, but he does say the Steelers have great potential to climb the rankings this year.  See what you think.  Maybe I should collect all these articles, make a grid, and see who is closest at the end of the 2013 season.   Maybe not.  My head might explode.

What did I miss?

That’s it for today.  Did I miss anything?  Let us know what you think!