With most game three’s in the preseason it is a dress rehearsal for the season. The Starters play an entire half then those bound for the waiver wire, practice squad or to be starters in waiting take it from there. It was no different when the Steelers took the field against the Bills for their third preseason game. It was to be a test to see if the Steelers were ready for the season and after watching the way they played I am happy to say mission accomplished.
In week two of the preseason the Steelers played flat across the board verse the Redskins but that would not be the case in the one practice game that matters verse Buffalo. The starters got the job done. They showed intensity and passion. They answered the call and rang the Bills bell.
Before the game started though, I had some questions I hoped to get answered. All in all I am happy with the test results. Below is a list of the good, the bad and the ugly but most importantly the Steelers test results I had presented in my own head before the game started.
In this game I wanted to see first and formost the stating offense show some moxy both in the run and passing game. I wanted to see the offensiveline give Ben some time and open holes for the backs. I wanted to see Mendenhall in extended action and I wanted them to show me more then I had seen thus far in the preseason.
The passing game was well oiled and almost perfect as Ben Roethlisberger was back, and looked ready for the opener, going 15-for-19 for 168 yards. The offense had 359 yards of offense, and held the ball for a staggering 41:15 to just 18:45 for the Bills. Having Roethlisberger back was an inspiration.
The run game didn’t have big numbers (81 yards on 38 carries, 2.1 per carry), but they were able to set a tempo, and Rashard Mendenhall was the starter, putting up 48 yards on 16 carries. He looks like he and Willie Parker will be as solid of a 1-2 punch as their will be in the league. His lone mistake was yet another fumble.
Limas Sweed all but clinched the third WR spot, making four catches for 34 yards, including one very good catch on the sideline. 12 players caught passes on the night, and Sweed and Hines Ward combined for 9 catches for 108 yards. Sweed still has a ways to go to reach his potential but he is miles ahead of where he was at this time last year.
The offensiveline was not perfect but they looked good. Ben had time to throw and a few holes where opened for the runningbacks. I still am not sold on the way the Steelers use or lack there of, the fullback these days, but these ain’t your grandaddy’s Steelers no more and I am not that upset about it either.
The second thing I wanted to see was how well the defense played. The first two games where vanilla with the play calls as expected and the run defense did not look to be as good as they can be. Timmons is a beast but still has some on the job training to get done before he is as good as Larry Foote was in the run game. I also wanted to see how the battle between Joe Burnett, Keenan Lewis and Kewain Ratliff was shaping up. As well as some pass rushing out of Harrison and Woodley.
James Harrison was unblockable all night, and it was his pressure that seemed to cause Trent Edwards to rush the pass that was picked off by James Farrior. Harrison has had a great presason, and seems on his way to another season where he’ll be up for defensive player of the year honors.
Linebacker James Farrior had an impressive outing, returning an interception 22 yards for a touchdown while adding a sack and a forced fumble.
“I think we did pretty good,” said Farrior. “There are some things that we can improve on. We can improve on our blitz timing and a couple things.”
The Steelers avoided allowing many mistakes to cause any damage as the defense stepped up, not allowing the Bills to go anywhere for most of the game as they seemed to be in mid-season form. The pass rush dominated the Bills patch work offensiveline and held their run game in check to boot. Again, I will say it, mission accomplished.
The final thing I wanted to see and something I hope to see much more of this season, was Stafan Logan. It has been many moons since the Steelers had a real threat in the return game. Not since Antwan Randle El defected to the Deadskins to be percise. Logan had a great game being the feature returner verse those same Skins, and I hoped to see more of it this week. Though he did not have as much open space to work with this outing, he still proved to be a threat on every return and in my book earned a spot on the final 53 and BOTH the kick and punt return spots on the team.
All in all a great game. Even when the practice fodder got in the game, the Steelers defense played great. The offense was not as impressive, but they got the job done and did’nt do anything to mess up what the starters accomplished in the first half.
With the test complete and the game graded, I will give the Steelers a solid B+. They answered all of my questions and showed they are ready to get the real games started. All I gotta say is bring on the Tits and Lenwhale White. It’s time to get some revenge on those towl stomping pee-ons.
Until next time, thanks for reading and feel free to leave your thoughts on the game. What questions did you wanted answered and where they?
About the Author Jim McMillen
The Editor & Chief, the brains so to say, behind Pittsburgh Blitz. Jim is a rabid sports fan who just loves his Stillers, Pens and Buccos. Feel free to contact us at steelerguy26[@]yahoo.com if you have any questions or comments or would like to join our staff and write for Pittsburgh Blitz.
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