Steelers to drain juice from Bolts
The Bolts are coming.
Not to worry. Lightning is not going to strike the Steelers Sunday.
Here are the top 10 reasons why Pittsburgh fans can get ready for an appearance in the AFCChampionship Game next weekend.
No. 10:
Defense, defense, defense. The Steelers were the top-ranked defense in the NFLthis season for a reason. Nobody can run on them, they sack the quarterback and they take the ball away.Darren Sproles had more than 300 all-purpose yardage last week against Indianapolis. That bit of lightning is not going to strike twice.
No. 9:Distractions. The Chargers have a big one this week, courtesy of wide receiver Vincent Jackson's DUIarrest. He has been San Diego's deep threat. Now he's threatening to do prison time.
No. 8:
1994. Think the Steelers are going to take San Diego lightly?Not a chance. All they have to do is watch tape of the 1994 AFCChampionship Game.They say it's hard to beat a team three times in one season. It's even harder for a franchise to go 3-0 in the playoffs on the same opponent's home turf.
No. 7:
Health. The Steelers enter this game as healthy as they've been all season. Tight end Heath Miller and both starting cornerbacks are ready and eager for the San Diego rematch. None of them were for the Steelers' 11-10 triumph over San Diego in November.
No. 6:
Keep it clean. Penalties, not the San Diego defense, stopped the Steelers in the first meeting, when Pittsburgh was flagged 13 times. The Steelers outgained the Chargers by 200 yards, had a 300-yard passer, a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver.The yellow hankies won't be as numerous this Sunday.
No. 5:Welcome to the east. The record of NFLteams from the west coast traveling to the east coast to play football is well-documented. And January football in Pittsburgh is a bit different from January football in San Diego.
No. 4:
Coaching. Mike Tomlin is a better coach this year than last — certainly a more aggressive one. With a playoff win over Jacksonville on the line last year, he allowed Ben Roethlisberger to run a quarterback bootleg on third-and-6.This year, he's often gone for the first down or touchdown on fourth-and-short. Conservatism is gone. Now Tomliln is playing to win.
No. 3:
Runner vs. Runner. Neither LaDainian Tomlinson nor Willie Parker has been quite himself this season. Neither has put up the numbers their respective teams are accustomed to seeing.But Parker is healthy entering this game. Tomlinson isn't. In fact, Tomlinson might not even play. True, Sproles can hit the home run for San Diego. Parker can do likewise for Pittsburgh and, odds are, he will.
No. 2:Mobile vs. Immobile. Roethlisberger can move in and out of the pocket. While the Chargers surprisingly put pressure on Peyton Manning last week — San Diego had just 28 sacks in the regular season — Big Ben is better equipped to make plays under the heat.Philip Rivers has outstanding passing numbers, but he can't move. The Steelers' pressure defense forced him into mistakes and a bad game in November and that can happen again.
No. 1:Offensive line cohesion. Finally, the Steelers are showing some and it couldn't have come at a better time. Max Starks and Darnell Stapleton have started 11 games now. While the Chargers have gotten used to life without Shawn Merriman defensively, the Steelers have adjusted to life without Marvel Smith and Kendall Simmons offensively.The Chargers are coming to town on a roll. But the Steelers are better.They'll prove that Sunday.John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle.
