Patriots Stomp Steelers In AFC Title Tilt; Will Face Falcons in Super Bowl

Jesse James had beaten Patrick Chung on a post route and had a sure touchdown.

The Pittsburgh Steelers' tight end had feigned a seam route that he had beaten Chung on earlier, and the New England Patriots' strong safety had taken the cheese, giving James ample room to catch the ball from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, and Chung's pursuit angle suggested that even if he was able to bring him down, he would easily break the plane of the goal line anyway...

...then, suddenly, Patriots' centerfielder Duron Harmon appeared out of nowhere, lowering his shoulder as he made contact with James, the collision dropping the tight end to the turf mere inches from the mark, denying the touchdown.

Harmon (30) denied James the end zone

Harmon was playing over the top and somehow was able to get over to assist on the play.  Big deal, right?  The Steelers would surely score anyway - if not on first and goal from 5 inches away, then on the ensuing downs.

But on first down, Patriots' linebacker Dont'a Hightower stuffed Steelers' running back DeAngelo Williams for a one yard loss, then on second down rookie defensive tackle Vincent Valentine dropped Williams for a loss of three.

Eventually, the Steelers would have to settle for a field goal so they would at least get three points out of the drive, but the epic goal line stand by the Patriots turned the tide in what was shaping up to be a track meet, the first team to break the tape at the finish line going on to Houston to play the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51.  But from that point forward, the Steelers seemed to run out of gas, and the track meet was cancelled due to lack of interest.

Up 17-9 and with less than two minutes remaining in the first half, surrendering a touchdown in that situation would have put the Steelers in good shape, down just one point - or even tied with the Patriots with a successful two-point conversion - and knowing that they would be receiving the ball first in the second half, a touchdown would have given Pittsburgh all of the momentum...

...but instead they went into the locker room down by five, and then New England's defense stifled Pittsburgh on their initial possession of the second half, the Patriots' offense taking over from there, going on a 19-0 run over the next twenty minutes to blow the Steelers out of Gillette Stadium, taking the American Football Conference championship by a score of 36-17.

As a result, New England will face the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51 in Houston on February 5th.

In reality, there were many players on the New England side of things who came up big.  There are the obvious ones - like Chris Hogan whom the Steelers apparently either sorely underestimated, or just plain forgot about, to the tune of nine receptions for a whopping 180 yards and two touchdowns - and the ones who did their job in a more subtle manner.

Take your pick, be it James White picking up rogue blitzers, the entire offensive line that protected Brady like he was the King of the world, or even Harmon who flipped the game around with his fundamentally sound tackle. There was Malcolm Butler punking Pittsburgh's All Pro receiver Antonio Brown. not allowing him clean releases at the line of scrimmage, and New England's defensive line winning the battles in the running game - but homage should also be paid to the mistakes made by the Steelers themselves, mistakes that turned a relatively close game into a laugher.

Again, take your pick, be it Eli Rodgers' fumble that gave New England excellent field position and led to a Julian Edelman touchdown catch late in the third quarter, receiver Cobi Hamilton's illegal touching of a pass in the end zone that nullified a touchdown pass, or Roethlisberger's who-the-hell-is-he-throwing-that-to interception early in the fourth quarter that cornerback Eric Rowe returned deep into Pittsburgh territory...

...or the Steelers' safeties losing containment on both of Hogan's deep touchdown receptions - all were contributing factors in the outcome of the game, whether forced by the Patriots' defense or just unforced errors by the Steelers themselves - and one also has to wonder how the game would have gone had Pittsburgh's All Pro running back Le'Veon Bell not pulled a groin and sat out the majority of the game.

Bell had reportedly been bothered by a sore groin for some time, though he looked to be in top form in the post-season prior to coming to Foxborough - and truthfully, he wasn't all that effective in his limited touches before leaving the game, picking up just 20 yards on six carries while his replacement, Williams, averaged a weak 2.4 yards per carry, a stat made even more impressive by the fact that he had a 15 yard scamper mixed into his 14 carries, and if one were to eliminate that, he ran for only 30 yards on 13 carries.

No doubt, Bell being left pouting on the sidelines helped the cause defensively for New England, but only as far as being able to concentrate more on situational football, but what helped even more was that the Patriots' offense was able to build a three-score lead early in the second half, forcing Pittsburgh to become one-dimensional and into obvious passing situations.

As a result, New England was able to rotate fresh defensive personnel into the game at a rate that would impress a hockey coach, with linebackers Shea McClellin, Kyle Van Noy, Elandon Roberts and Hightower each garnering about 50% of the snaps in a two man rotation, with strong safety Chung reducing down to the second level to punk James coming off the line.

That kind of rotation is normally reserved for the Patriots' defensive line to keep the big uglies up front fresh for the stretch run in each ball game - and it works.  All one has to do is to look at some very basic stats to see just how effective that scheme is.

In the last five games, the Patriots' defense has allowed a combined 21 points in the second half, surrendering just two touchdowns, one of them the garbage time scoring pass from Roethlisberger to Cobi Hamilton, and have generated an astounding 14 turnovers, the majority of them coming in the second half when their concentration is broken by being exhausted while the Patriots are rested and focused.

That's what happened to both of New England's playoff opponents, not to mention the number of times that the Patriots have held their opponents on downs late in games, simply because they had more gas in their tank.

So what they did against the Steelers was predictable, kind of an old "Rope-a-Dope" mentality where you take the opponent's best shot, let them wear themselves out, then stomp them like a grape - and it works on both sides of the ball.  Brady had the Patriots up to the line and had the ball in his hands with 15 seconds or more left on the play clock to limit both the time the Steelers had to substitute and to get lined up for the play...

...several times catching Pittsburgh's defenders out of position, most notably on both of Hogan's touchdowns and on a key pass to fullback James Develin for a first down. When one team has the talent, proper scheme and incredible depth, the advantage is with them and the score is usually lopsided.

It's almost unfair.  Almost.

The Patriots can't be blamed for being the more talented, better prepared and better conditioned team, because that's what the game is all about - and is why the Patriots are on their way to Houston, armed with an air of invincibility, a most advantageous intangible indeed...

Prelude To A Championship, Part 2 - Offensive Line, Backs Hold Key For Patriots In AFC Title Tilt

Marcus Cannon has been the highest rated tackle in the National Football League over the last eleven weeks of the regular season. Consecutively.

That's the highest rated tackle in the entire NFL, and that's all tackles regardless of which side they play, and while he may not have been voted to the Pro Bowl by the fans, he gained enough votes from the pro football writers across America to be named a second-team All Pro by the Associated Press...

...and was selected as a second-team All Pro by Pro Football Focus,no small feat considering that the closest Cannon had come to being All-Anything in his football career was filling in for 2010 second team All Pro Sebastian Vollmer on the right side of the New England Patriots' offensive line.

Because the various All Pro teams are selected by journalists and are not subject to fan interference, The players selected for the first and second teams generally are considered the best of the best, and not merely a name recognized by the fans who vote nationwide in the Pro Bowl balloting, which is really nothing more than a popularity contest.

Cannon's ascension to elite status has been meteoric and unexpected, as he came into this season as a much-maligned swing tackle that never seemed to get a break with either paying time or injury.  This season he's gotten breaks on both, and looky what happened.

Not only is the fifth-year emerging star a load in the running game, where he combines with right guard Shaq Mason to form one of the best young strong side tandems in the league, but he is also a nimble brawler in pass protection that defensive ends have to fight through to earn a shot at quarterback Tom Brady - and he has held off some of the finest pass rushers that the NFL has to offer.

In fact, when it comes to opening holes in the running game or protecting the likely league MVP in Brady, head ball coach Bill Belichick has assembled a group that has stayed healthy - the current lineup of Cannon, Mason, center David Andrews, left guard Joe Thuney and left tackle Nate Solder have played in the same lineup for ten consecutive games - and have gelled into a cohesive unit.

The numbers bear this out. According to Football Outsiders, the Patriots have the eighth best offensive line in the league in both run blocking and in pass protection, while Pro Football Focus has them listed at 10th - their grade brought down a bit by the fact that rookie Joe Thuney has struggled in pass protection, allowing 45 pressures of Patriots' quarterbacks and flagged ten times for holding.

His struggles may not have been as noticeable if the rest of the Patriots' interior had more experience, as Andrews and Mason are just in their second year, and their first season as full-time starters.

New England quarterback Tom Brady has been sacked 17 times in thirteen games played this season, most of them coming left of center.  Last week, the Houston Texans presented the rest of the league with the blueprint on how to pressure Brady, which added up to moving their edge rushers to align over the pivot, using their quickness to wedge between Andrews and Thuney.

Brady took a horrible beating in the first half, but the team was able to adjust in the second half by going after Houston's deep coverages over the top, Brady throwing a couple of 50/50 balls to force the Texans to drop more players back into coverage - the result, of course, was that it gave Brady a little more time in the pocket, and he shredded the Texans' coverages underneath as New England pulled away for a divisional round win.

It was a bold adjustment for sure, and one rife with danger, particularly against the top defense in the National Football League, and even more bold considering the results had his receivers not been able to win those battles - one could say it even smacked of desperation, and maybe it was. But the coaching lesson learned by the Patriots is to not let themselves get into a narrow fist fight in the first place...

...and particularly not against their opponent in the AFC Championship Game, the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have an offensive machine that would make the Patriots pay for their mistakes in a way that the Texans could not.

Against the Texans, New England jumped out to a quick two-score lead, but handed the momentum right back to Houston with a pair of turnovers that eventually cut their lead to one point and forced the Patriots to the air to gain separation from their opponent, a notion that led to Brady getting beat like he stole something, instead of being able to balance the offense with the running game.

While the Steelers don't have the statistically dominating defense that the Texans possessed, they can still get after the quarterback and have the personnel to disrupt the New England game plan - but first, they have to stop the Patriots' underrated rushing game.

That may be a tall task, given the fact that Pittsburgh has surrendered an eye-popping 4.3 yards per rush in their last three regular season contests, but have found ways to shut down both Miami's and Kansas City's ground games in the post season, doing so against the Dolphins simply by jumping out to an early lead and forcing them to the air...

...while just being patient against the Chiefs as they wrong-mindedly used their greatest offensive weapon, Tyreek Hill, as a decoy instead of feeding him the ball.  When Kansas City did run the ball, they found success right up the gut, but were so locked in on their game of deception that they fooled themselves into two turnovers that gave Pittsburgh prime field position and contributed mightily to Kansas City falling behind in the second half and having to abandon their ground game.

So it goes without saying that the Patriots need to be better at protecting the football, as the Steelers are far more adept at taking advantage of turnovers.

Since being activated from the PUP list Patriots' scatback Dion Lewis has assumed control of the lead back in New England's offense, compiling a 4.4 yards per carry average on the ground while picking up where he left off last season by being a dual threat in the passing game.

The reason for this is very simple. Lewis provides a multiple-threat profile when in the game as opposed to power back LeGarrette Blount, who does little in the passing game, and passing back James White, who hasn't shown Lewis' ability to pick up yardage up the gut.  This is not to say that either Blount or White are liabilities, rather, it demonstrates that Lewis is simply a tougher matchup for a defensive front seven.

Why? He is like Steelers' running back Le'Veon Bell in his versatility, equally adept in carrying the ball through the tall trees and abusing linebackers on the wheel routes, so he adds an element of deception to the Patriots' offense and allows the play action to work it's magic.

Of course, Blount and White have their specific roles which add to the dynamicism of the New England offense, as Blount has rushed for over 1100 yards this season, mostly when the opposition knows he's getting the ball - while White ended up catching the second most balls on the team in the passing game - and this with names like Martellus Bennett, Chris Hogan and Danny Amendola in the same pattern.

Indeed, the New England running backs will have a profound effect on the outcome of the AFC Title tilt - but the level to which they do have an effect will be directly dictated by ball security as well as a return to the balance on offense that made New England so hard to defend all season long.

Suffice to say that the Patriots will not be making the same mistakes they did against the Texans last week, not will they be making the mistake of using Lewis purely as a decoy to try to open up other areas of the offense - instead, playing straight-up fundamental football to keep the Steelers from taking advantage of self-induced mistakes.

Once the running game is established, the Steelers have a habit of retreating into a coverage style known loosely as a cover-six, a two-tiered zone concept in which five defensive backs and one linebacker - usually Ryan Shazier - are responsible for a particular part of the field in the passing game.

The cover-six involves four zones in the short to intermediate levels, plus two safeties that split the field in half on the deeper zones. The concept is vulnerable to trips formations which will flood two zones on one side of the ball and forcing the defenders in adjacent zones to move laterally in an effort to assist in coverages, leaving the zones on the opposite side in what amounts to man coverage.

Brady can take advantage of this by looking off the safeties, and once they bite in one direction of another, flip the script to the weak side where he should have his choice of a running back and a tight end to choose from in the pattern - and, if set up properly, the screen game could have a momentous impact on early downs.

What the balance combination does is neutralize the aggressiveness of the Steelers' quick-twitch linebackers and forces them back on their heels where they can not rely on their superior closing speed to limit yards after the catch. It also takes some of the aggressiveness away from the Pittsburgh pass rush by forcing them to reveal their intentions through motion by the Patriots during their pre-snap adjustments.

Shazier and fellow youngster Bud Dupree join greybeard James Harrison as the top pass rushers on the team, all of whom have the ability to ruin drives with their athleticism alone, so establishing the running game will go along way to leveling the playing field in both facets of the offense, and will open up the short and deep passing plays while the Steelers are stuck in their own intermediate zone jail.

Prelude To A Championship, Part 2 - Gap Integrity Key To Patriots Limiting Steelers' Options On Offense

Gap Integrity.

When it comes to containing the high-octane Pittsburgh Steelers' offense, gap integrity is the most crucial discipline of them all - because everything that they do is predicated off of the running game, and if the opposing defense doesn't fill gaps, they have an All Pro running back who exploits running lanes better than any other back in the NFL.

New England Patriots' head ball coach Bill Belichick knows this better than anyone, and has consistently tried to fill his defensive front seven with disciplined gap-pluggers and edge-setters, but it wasn't until after the team's bye week in week nine that the unit blossomed into one of the best run defending entities in the league.

In reality, however, the process of becoming such started back at the beginning of the league year in March, when veteran defensive end Chris Long took a visit and a workout with New England on the 13th, setting in motion a series of events that would see Belichick trading Pro Bowl defensive end Chandler Jones to the Arizona Cardinals two days later..

...and then during their bye week, the Dark Master dumped athletically-gifted linebacker Jamie Collins to the Cleveland Browns for a late-round draft pick, in the interim picking up linebackers Barkeveous Mingo from the Browns and Kyle Van Noy from the Lions to fill out their depth chart.

And, why? Well, Jones couldn't set the edge to save his life, his value always being as a pass rusher - and even then his performances were erratic. Collins was said to have "free-lanced" his play, meaning that he would abandon his gap to take the quickest route into the backfield, often over-running the play.  Both players left a lot to be desired so far as gap integrity is concerned.

But once they were gone and the rest got up to speed in Belichick's scheme, the Patriots have become the best run defense in the league - through the second half of the season, of course - and clearly have what it takes to shut down an opposing running game, allowing a meager 64 yards per game on the ground since their break.

The key to any run defense is to force the opposing offensive line to double team the nose tackle, and hopefully that nose tackle is stout enough to take on the double team and not allow the second blocker to disengage and flow to the second level, where he can neutralize a linebacker.  On the Patriots, that nose tackle could be any number of players, depending on a number of variables...

...which is why the Dark Master is so enamored with versatility in his players. As for actual defensive tackles, he lists just three on the roster, all working in a rotation that is meant both for the situational football that Belichick lives for and to keep those large human beings fresh for crunch time - and their snap counts reflect that philosophy.

The playoff game against Houston last Saturday night is a decent snapshot of how the rotation works for them. Rush tackle Alan Branch played a hefty and effective 71% of the defensive snaps, coming away with top honors of three quarterback pressures and seven tackles in eating up two gaps with his massive 6' 6", 350 pound frame, spelled primarily by rookie load Vincent Valentine (6' 2", 320) and like-sized sophomore Malcom Brown.

However, Belichick and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia have found success in moving second year defensive end Trey Flowers over center in pure passing situations, where he uses his quickness and sheer brute strength to reestablish the line of scrimmage two yards deep in the opponent's backfield, blowing up running plays and collapsing the pocket from the inside out in the passing game.

Flowers is also effective on the edges, but he is more of a chess piece that Patricia moves around to take advantage of mismatches along the line. The edges belong to a pair of veterans in greybeards Long and Rob Ninkovich, both of whom excel at setting the hard edge and funneling things back inside for the big boys to handle.

But to stop Bell, who has the patience of a saint and the initial burst of a jack-in-the-box, the Patriots linemen need not just to maintain gap integrity, but to maintain gap integrity for what may seem like an eternity compared to playing against other backs. Bell's running style consists of floating behind one of his offensive linemen, playing peek-a-boo with the linebacking corps, waiting for a gapper to lose containment, then he explodes through the hole...

...so it is imperative that New England's linebackers are protected from being menaced by rouge guards on the second level and free to flow to whichever gap they are needed.

Dont'a Hightower and Van Noy pair up for a formidable run plugging duo, with rookie thug Elandon Roberts spelling either effectively.  Both Hightower and Van Noy are excellent blitzers as well, and if one of the lineman can draw a double team, they generally have the green light to go after the quarterback.

Problem being, Bell is excellent in the passing game and will rarely remain in the backfield to pass protect, so either linebacker blitzing may be a pick-your-poison proposition, and leaving him one-on-one with a linebacker in the pattern is just asking for trouble.

Which is why against the Steelers, the Patriots will primarily be in their three-safety, Big Nickel package, with Duron Harmon playing centerfield while Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung reduce down to take on coverages - McCourty covering the double slot on tight end Jesse James and Chung shadowing Bell - or vice versa.  Besides Belichick and Patricia, no one really knows what kind of rabbit the Patriots' defense will pull out of their collective hat game-to-game, or even play-to-play.

Disguising coverages and rush packages is always part of the game plan in New England, but there are very few teams that put together their schemes in such a manner that they can plan for gaining tactical advantages, then implement them on the fly during a game.

There is no such thing as putting too much emphasis on Bell, as the entire offense revolves around his skill set, and if you take him away, it forces Pittsburgh to rely on a receiving corps that can be overwhelmed in the Big Nickel, and even in the basic nickel, as corners Malcolm Butler and Eric Rowe are capable outside-the-numbers guys, and Logan Ryan has emerged - once again - as one of the top slot corners in the game...

...and with McCourty ready and able to assist over the top, it limits what the Steelers are able to do in the passing game, particularly with no play action to freeze the linebackers in the middle zones.

These types of games are won in the trenches, and the real battle is between the Pittsburgh offensive line and the Patriots' front seven in what promises to be an old fashioned street fight

Around midseason, the Steelers' offensive line started to click after a slow start, and their nine-game winning streak entering this contest found it's genesis in the line's chemistry.  Most of Bell's success has come running behind center Maurkise Pouncey and right guard David DeCastro, but has also seen recent improvement on the edges, where left tackle Alejandro Villanueva and strong side tackle Marcus Gilbert are equally adept at sealing their mirror to the inside.

Villanueva, in particular, has been solid in pass protection, allowing just one sack in the past dozen contests, while left guard Ramon Foster has not allowed a sack all season long. But despite excellent protection, the passing game has been the Steelers' bitch-kitty.

Since the beginning of December, and not counting their season finale when they mailed it in against Cleveland and still won the game, Pittsburgh has enjoyed amazing balance in their offense - practically a 50-50 split between run and pass - with Bell dominating in the post season to the point that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has only had to drop back on 40% of their plays...

...which is good for the Steelers, since he has been an interception machine since the end of November, throwing nine picks in six games - and it has continued in the playoffs as Big Ben has been victimized thrice in two playoff games. Those numbers are very un-Roethlisberger like and one has to wonder if his knees and foot are affecting his ability to fully step into his throws.

That in itself is a great reason to rush Roethlisberger right up the gut and force him off his mark - and given that the Steelers offense as a whole are horrible on third down conversions (a meager 36% in the post season), limiting the run and keeping the Steelers out of third-and-short situations would seem to lead to turnovers, either by punt or interception.

But it all starts with gap integrity.

Next: New England offense vs Steelers' defense...

Prelude To A Championship, Part 1 - Balance Between Individuality And Team-First Mentality Drives Patriots

"It's a lion's den. I've been there. A lot of us have been there. This ain't going to be fun."

Ben Roethlisberger knows all about Gillette Stadium, the dynastic New England Patriots and about their raucous fans, for he could not have selected a better description of what his Pittsburgh Steelers are walking into this coming Sunday Evening - as in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, Roethlisberger is acknowledging that Foxborough is " a place or state of extreme disadvantage, antagonism or hostility."

Gillette will certainly be hostile, especially since that video of Steelers' coach Mike Tomlin calling the Patriots a collection of chocolate starfish surfaced - and while that can be attributed to Tomlin being a coach and firing up his charges, perhaps more discretion on the part of Antonio Brown, whose phone recorded the comments, is warranted.

Regardless, it's nothing more than Tomlin being proud of his players and keeping them motivated after a big win - and if one goes through the entire video, we get to see Roethlisberger delivering his eloquent soliloquy regarding what a nightmare it can be for an opposing team to go to Foxborough and play the Patriots, a notion echoed by Tomlin on Tuesday.

"We're in the AFC Championship game" Tomlin said after apologizing for his language on the Brown video. "You're not going to creep in the back door in New England and win a football game, then creep out of there with the AFC Championship."

As a matter of fact, not many creep into Gillette Stadium and come away with anything but a participation trophy, and especially with so much on the line.

For the eleventh time in the Bill Belichick era, he is set to lead his New England Patriots into the American Football Conference Championship Game - and for the fourth time, he will lead his team into a meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Patriots star power is limited to Brady and maybe a few others, but most of the players on their roster toil in anonymity so far as the electorate is concerned, as New England under head ball coach and defacto general manager Bill Belichick employ a considerable number of castoffs and retreads from other teams to populate their depth chart...

...giving each player one specific task in each game and asking only that they do their job. Most are not incredible athletes, but all are cerebral, tough and relentless, be it watching game film or chasing down rogue quarterbacks or throwing blocks to spring their teammates for big plays.

Those things are aesthetically pleasing primarily only to Patriots' fans - well, most of them anyway - while the rest of the league and their fans see New England as a heartless machine that methodically and painfully take away the will of their opposition - savagely efficient, boring.

Is it any wonder that such a dull and tiresome entity with the ability to make the bad guys lapse into the football equivalent of a tryptophan-induced coma then stomp them like grapes while they're down are overlooked for individual awards?

"Everybody wants to play more, but at the same time everybody wants a good team and everybody wants to win." Belichick explained about the mentality of his team, "Everybody wants to do their role. We all want it to be bigger but sometimes we have to understand the bigger team picture, which our players do."

"You give that up when you play football. You give up some of your individuality. You give up some of your individual preferences or individual control you have to play the great team sport of football."

Patriots fans fall into the same trap that every other fan base does - that is, they know their team so well, and they recognize the nuances of the scheme and assume that the rest of the football world is connected with their psyche and should know the team as we know them - but they don't. Even the people who are paid to know these things, the national media, are collectively ignorant of the talent buried on any teams' depth chart.

But they know enough to realize that the Patriots are the best team in the NFL, and with Belichick running the show, are certainly more than the sum of their parts.

How do they know this? On offense, besides the obvious quantity displayed by Brady - who was the top rated quarterback in all of football - the Patriots sported a top-10 offensive line, a thousand-yard running back, the second-best passing back in all of the NFL and seven pass catchers with twenty or more receptions...

...while the defense boasted a top-three secondary, and a unit that scored in the top-10 in every major statistical category under the tab of total defense and allowed only 15.6 points per game, tops in the entire National Football League.

These things are all public record, but mean nothing unless the ultimate goal is achieved.

Offensively, Belichick still runs his version of the old Erhardt-Perkins philosophy, utilizing a concept-driven scheme that requires each player, regardless of position, to know exactly where everyone in the formation is supposed to be, and requires that any so-called "skill" position players to line up where they can be most effective, usually in a position that takes advantage of the opponent's weaknesses.

Against Pittsburgh, a team that features speed and-or requisite quickness in just about every position, Belichick could use his passing backs split wide to open up the middle of the field for the bigger possession receivers and to maximize the effectiveness of the bubble screens.

On defense, the preferred package is the Big Nickle - which features three safeties in an effort to neutralize elite tight ends and running backs - but Pittsburgh has speed to burn outside the numbers and the best all-around running back in the NFL, so they force many teams to play them straight up or in a standard nickle...

...but whatever schemes are ultimately employed, success or failure will be determined in the trenches - offensive lines vs. defensive front sevens - and in subsequent articles, we will prepare you for any and every eventuality, with the focus being on blocking and rushing the passer, as these are the areas that will determine which team will represent the American Football Conference in Super Bowl LI...

Next: Part 2 - Pittsburgh running game vs. New England's Front seven

Patriot Grades - Steelers' Team Speed Dictated In-Game Adjustments To Run Defense

On the surface, the Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive line dominated the New England Patriots' defensive line - but upon closer examination, things were not nearly as bad as they originally appeared..

The Steelers are one of a only a handful of teams that can spread a defense out to the point that it can affect their tackle box the entire game, as their receiver corps is nothing but pure unadulterated speed - check that - pure, unadulterated, experienced route running speed, and on Thursday night, that speed forced New England into constant nickle situations, leaving six players in the box.

It seemed as if Steelers' runner DeAngelo Williams was ripping off double-digit sprints through the Patriots' defense every time he carried the ball, but in truth that occurred only in the first drives of each half. On the first drive of the game, Williams went exclusively to the right carrying three times for 33 yards, but for the rest of the half he went seven for 20...

...then on the first drive of the second half, Williams ripped straight up the gut four times for 46 yards, but the rest of the game he went seven for 27 yards. In all, for the first drives of each half, Williams carried seven times for a 79 yards for a whopping 11.2 yards per carry, while after the Patriots adjusted, he slipped markedly, carrying 14 times for 47 yards, a 3.3 yards per carry average.

The difference? New England went Big Nickle by bringing in a third safety to fit a seventh player in the box, switching between two, three and four down man fronts depending on the personnel the Steelers brought on each down - and the result was that instead of linebackers and linemen chasing plays down from behind with a guard in their face, the linebackers were able to read and diagnose, arriving in the gap at the same time as the back.

Overall, the Steelers' offensive line had a relatively easy night in pass protection and were able to double down on the Patriots' rushers, as Pittsburgh spreading out the defense didn't afford New England many blitz opportunities. There were a couple of plays in the second half where Roesthlisberger could have made himself a sandwich before throwing the ball, but that could also be considered a testament to how the Patriots' coverages improved exponentially when going zone.

New England registered five quarterback hits and three sacks in Big Ben's 38 drop backs, but one of the sacks came on a failed receiver option when Malcom Brown caught up with Antonio Brown and brought him down when the latter ran out of green and into his own linemen, and another came on a "A" gap hug blitz by Dont'a Hightower...

...the only legitimate sack by a lineman was by defensive end Jabaal Sheard, who played head and shoulders above the rest of the defensive line, simply due to sheer mass and strength - something that New England lost on the inside as the early hip injury to tackle Dominique Easley forced a change in the rotation, replacing him with defensive end Geneo Grissom, who gave up nearly 40 pounds in the exchange...

Regardless, there were reasons for the appearance of poor defensive line line play, but thankfully for the Patriots, they don't face many more opponents that can spread them out quite like Pittsburgh did.

Quarterbacks - A

Brady was, well, Brady.

Remarkable poise and a quarterback that is far more than his contemporaries could possibly hope to be, as he has no peer in the business. Just ask his opponents.

That said, the man is human, and while he makes things look automatic at times, he does have the propensity to overthrow the deep ball, and he has such confidence in Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman that he seems to take more chances in trying to fit balls into tight coverage to them - which explains the first quarter throw to Gronkowski in quadruple coverage.

Bit that's nitpicking...

Running Backs - A

Coming out of college, Dion Lewis was projected to be a change-of-pace back but wasn't considered a true passing back due his struggles in pass protection and lack of explosion out of his cuts.

Well, either he got much better or those scouts were talking out of their hind parts, because Lewis showed up in pass pro and in the pattern, going for 120 yards of total offense and helping a couple of Steelers defensive backs find their socks after he juked them right out of them...

...He's a tough inside runner, but he missed a couple of holes in favor of trying to gain the edge, and he put the ball on the ground once, but given the fact that his running forced Pittsburgh's front seven to respect the Patriots' running game and give Brady an extra split second on the play action, that's an "A" in anyone's book.

Pass Catchers - A+

As good a quarterback Brady is in that he makes the players around him better, sometimes that wisdom cuts both ways.

There isn't a more sure pair of hands in the game than the gigantic paws of tight end Rob Gronkowski, unless you're talking about wide receiver Julian Edelman,  Danny Amendola has mitts as well, as does Aaron Dobson, though his catches cause a bit of anxiety with fans as he has a trademark on double-clutching the ball.

And we would be remiss in excluding tight end Scott Chandler, whose hands are even bigger than Gronkowski's - and together should form perhaps the most lethal twin towers in all of football.

All of them helped the passing game look good, but it all came against a Steelers' secondary that was less-then-stellar, to be kind. They will need to get Amendola and Dobson more involved in the offense going forward, as well as hoping that passing back Travaris Cadet, who is more of a receiver, can get healthy and add another dimension to the corps.

Offensive Line - A

How cool was it to see Nate Solder pop Jarvis Jones in the face mask?

Sure, it resulted in a 15 yard penalty, but it set the the early tone that the Patriots offensive line was not going to be intimidated by - nor would they be willing to tolerate - any extra-curricular activity. So when Jones jammed a fist into Solder's throat, Solder clocked him with one of those George Foreman ham-fisted shots that would have dropped him were it not for the aforementioned face mask.

The fist fighting in the trenches started in earnest at that point, and the Patriots linemen gave as good as they got, and not only protected Brady as well as anyone could have expected, not only opened creases for the explosive Lewis to squeeze through, but did so with a rotation along the interior that at times saw three rookies on the field at the same time - and none of them responsible for their mirror laying a hand on Brady.

Of course, Brady was getting the ball out of his hand quickly which always helps, but on the times that the rush did get to him, it was a matter of linebackers and safeties coming on plays designed for them to be set free, as in Bud Dupree's sack of Brady on a screen play in which Both Sebastian Vollmer and Lewis vacated the strong side, giving Dupree a clear line to the quarterback...


Special Teams - A

Punter Ryan Allen was solid, though he sailed one of his punts into the end zone for a touchback, and would have bounced another through the end zone had Antonio Brown not fair caught one of Allen's boomers on his own seven yard line.  Brown also had to call for a fair catch on his 19 and gained only three yards on his only return of the evening before gunner Matthew Slater brought him down.

Kicker Stephen Gostkowski nailed all four of his extra point attempts and forced four of his five kickoffs through the back of the end zone, Pittsburgh's Dri Archer returning the fifth for 22 yards before being brought down by Nate Ebner.

Defensive Line - C

Already covered above, but while there are reasons why the Steelers' offensive line dominated the Patriots' defensive line, the fact still remains that the linemen need a better anchor in their resolve going forward to not allow the opposing guards get to the second level to eliminate the linebackers, who are back there to make plays off of the linemen occupying blockers.

Linebackers - B

With the Steelers taking advantage of the Patriots four-man defensive line at the point of attack, they were able to open up multiple gaps on either side of the center, giving Williams the time to react to whichever gap Dont'a Hightower shot through, leaving the big middle linebacker grasping at air while cutting into the clear gap, forcing the New England defenders to chase him down from behind.

Hightower and Jamie Collins were the sole linebackers on the field for much of the contest, though the Patriots eventually aligned into a 3-3-5 look to patch the leak in run defense - Rob Ninkovich seeing the field more often than not in this mode - which gave the Patriots a slight advantage in disguising which linebacker was shooting the gap.

In all, the linebackers were an active group, by default - and are apt to be just as active next weekend at Buffalo, a team that promises to cause problems closer to the line of scrimmage, with a quarterback who will demand better outside containment and sideline to sideline versatility from the linebacking corps.

Secondary - B

Despite giving up two long receptions to Brown, Malcolm Butler had a decent debut as the team's number one corner, and former 49er and Raider Tarell Brown had himself a night as well. The issues lied with the Steelers running go routes out of the slot and making slot corner Bradley Fletcher play with his back to the ball which, as anyone who has followed his career will tell you, is never a good thing.

But this is something that the Seahawks exposed in the Patriots' coverage schemes in the Super Bowl, and it nearly ruined them - and while the Patriots were saved in that game by Butler replacing Kyle Arrington, it also provided a blueprint for other teams to employ against New England: Put a tall receiver in the slot and take the corner for a ride.

In this case it was 6' 3" Darrius Heywrd-Bey and his 4.3 wheels taking Fletcher down the field, and it wasn't pretty - in fact, Heyward-Bey got loose for a 43 yard gain, and nearly had a touchdown in the following series had he been more aware of where he was on the field, as his foot grazed the sideline in the end zone as he caught a bomb from Roethlisberger.

Fletcher was also a step slow in the fourth quarter when Roethlisberger tried to find Heyward-Bey in the end zone from 50 yards out, but Duron Harmon stepped in front of them and picked off the ball to thwart the best chance the Steelers had of getting back into the game.

Harmon doesn't get a lot of credit from the fans or the media, but he shows up once or twice a game with an impact play and seems to always take the best angles to the ball - as witnessed both in last season's divisional round playoff game against the Ravens and also on Thursday night in using his speed and knack for the proper angle to undercut routes that the opposing quarterbacks don't seem to notice until it's too late.

But both plays were game changers, and one really can't expect anything more from the centerfielder.

Offenses Dominate In Patriots' Victory Over Steelers

New England tight end Rob Gronkowski scores the first of his three touchdowns in the season opening win over Pittsburgh

Lewiston, Maine 3:23am

The storm clouds that swept over Gillette Stadium just hours ago are squeezing out a heavy load over southern Maine before moving on to harangue points north. The air is cool and moist, and the overcast din lends a somber gloom - perfect for agonizing over just about anything, even mulling over and revisiting painful memories...

...even for football, which on this night can't be helped because as home openers go, the New England Patriots battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night was a blast from the past, and not much of it was of the pleasant recollection type.

Oh sure, the Patriots had their moments, but on the night that they raised their fourth championship banner, plays made by the potent Steelers' offense conjured dark images from the recent past - for instance, there was a helmet catch, a close-to-impossible sideline catch, someone accusing the Patriots of cheating, an opposing running back shredding the Patriots run defense, and an opposing quarterback leading his team up and down the field seemingly at will,

And despite all of that, plus coming off of the most turbulent offseason in the history of offseasons, the Patriots still won.

That's important to keep in context, because how New England won on Thursday night is how they have won since head ball coach Bill Belichick took over 16 seasons ago: tough, bend-but-don't-break defense that gives up big chunks of yards between the twenties, then collectively becomes as stout as a smoky Icelandic Beer inside the red zone - and a fast-paced, tight end-centric  attack on offense that feeds off of a complicated series of concepts.

Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hung 351 passing yards on the New England secondary with a dazzling display of deep ball accuracy, and the apparently not-quite-as-washed-up-as-we-were-lead-to-believe DeAngelo Williams ran for 129 yards - but coaching errors and untimely penalties at critical points in the game doomed the hard luck Steelers' offense to lose a game in which they did everything they needed to do to win - except score points.

Earning just 14 points when it really mattered, the Steelers dropped a 28-21 decision to the Patriots in the season opener for both teams despite driving inside the New England 30 yard line - and twice inside their ten - in five of their first six possessions of the game, kicker Josh Scobee missing two field goal attempts before making two and a Will Johnson one yard touchdown run and ensuing two-point conversion being all Roethlisberger had to show for his night...

...while Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady threw four touchdown passes to his tight ends - three to Rob Gronkowski and one to Scott Chandler - and change-of-pace back Dion Lewis collected 120 yards of total offense while the New England defense got in Roethlisberger's way just enough - and at critical moments - to win the first game of their world title defense.

The Patriots bread and butter all night was the quick out to the left sidelines where Brady was 11 for 11, counting on the skill and wiggle of his trio of garden gnome receivers to turn his four yard tosses into four more - drawing the Pittsburgh defense down into the five yard buffer enough times to open up the intermediate passing game, which was devastating all night long.

At one point, Brady had thrown 19 consecutive completions as the Steelers chose to play off of the New England receivers, with nary a contested ball in his 25 of 32 night for 288 yards. Julian Edelman picked up where he left off in the Super Bowl, picking up first downs in rapid succession and averaging nine yards per catch while Gronkowski flat abused the Pittsburgh coverage on five catches for 94 yards.

Gronkowski's 19 yard per reception average spoke volumes as to how deep the linebackers and safeties were playing off of him - be it a show of respect for his skill or just plain ignorance of the game plan - even after a few in the Pittsburgh coverages had boasted all week long of their ability to stop Gronkowski by jamming him at the line, which now sounds like a total bag job.

Not counting kneel downs to end both the first half and the game, the Patriots enjoyed just eight possessions and lost the time of possession battle by a slim margin to the Steelers, who ended up with one more possession than New England, putting together drives of 54, 52, 57, 80 and 67 yards that yielded little more than a purple heart for the Pittsburgh offense...

...beginning with the first drive of the game, a nine play drive that fell short when right tackle Marcus Gilbert was flagged for holding, forcing a Scobee field goal attempt that he pushed wide right, then after the two teams traded punts Brady lead a methodical 13 play, ninety-yard drive, shredding the passive Pittsburgh defensive backfield with double digit yardage every time he dropped back to throw, capping it off with a quick out to Gronkowski who was split wide with no defender within 20 yards of him.

Brady's eyes got wide as he realized that Gronkowski was uncovered, furiously clapping his hands together and screaming at rookie center David Andrews to snap the ball before the Steelers realized what was happening and called a time out.

Gronkowski's 16 yard walk in the park to paydirt put the Patriots up 7-0 just moments into the second quarter and, after Scobee pushed another field goal attempt wide right, Gronkowski put New England up by 14, easily winning a jump ball over two Pittsburgh safeties in the back of the end zone with four minutes left in the half. Scobee finally nailed a 44 yarder with just seconds left to break the crust for the Steelers, who trailed by eleven going into the room.

The gnomes took over for the Patriots on the first drive of the second half, Edelman, Lewis and Danny Amendola taking turns moving the chains on short dump offs from Brady - a pass interference on Pittsburgh corner Cortez Allen in the end zone setting up the home team at the one, where Brady found Chandler short left, the 6' 7" import from Buffalo casually reaching the ball across the goal line before any defenders could reach him.

The Steelers responded with frightening intensity, Williams breaking off a 28 yard gainer to set the tone, then Brown burning Patriots corner Malcolm Butler on a sweet double move for 33 yards to get into the Patriots' red zone where fullback Will Johnson punched the ball through for Pittsburgh's fist touchdown, the ensuing two point conversion closing the Patriots' lead to just 10 points at 21-11.

Pittsburgh closed the gap to seven with another Scobee field goal after failing three times to punch the ball into the end zone from the one yard line, but then Gronkowski put the Patriots back up by 14 on a fade to the left - this after Brady and he connected on a 52 yard catch and run up the seam, and then saving the drive by recovering a Lewis fumble at the goal line.

The Steelers sealed their own fate two plays later when Roethlisberger didn't pick up on Patriots' safety Duron Harmon undercutting a go route deep in Patriots' territory, the resultant interception all but ensuring a New England victory - then Pittsburgh's curious clock management for the remainder of the game making defeat a certainty for them.

Harmon's pick ended the Steelers' hopes of a comeback

The final touchdown came with just two seconds left in the game with Roethlisberger dropping a bucket throw to Brown just over the reach of Butler, who despite Brown's obscene statistics, actually played the All Pro receiver tight most of the game. 80 of Brown's 133 yards came on two throws, one where Butler looked like a rookie in biting on the double move, and the other being picked on a crosser that freed up Brown down the right sideline.

Take those learning experiences away and Butler held arguably the best receiver in the game to seven catches for 53 yards, most of those throws tightly contested.

Williams enjoyed gaping holes to run through in the heart of the Patriots' run defense, as Roethlisberger spread out the Patriots and forced them into constant nickle and dime situations, leaving the box light with as few as six defenders to battle the Steelers' offensive line - and now New England is in preparations for a visit to Buffalo next Sunday, a team that features big fast receivers and a dynamic running game like they experienced against Pittsburgh...

...but also with an inexperienced but electric quarterback operating behind a very good offensive line. To be sure, the Bills defense won't lay back on the Patriots' receivers, as head coach Rex Ryan always seems to come up with game plans designed to limit the potency of the New England offensive attack.

Patriots' Front Seven, Passing Backs Key To Success Against Pittsburgh

The times, they are a changin'.

When one converses about the Pittsburgh Steelers, the thought process always allows for the brain to focus on the defensive side of the ball. And why not? The Pittsburgh Steelers have traditionally leaned on a ferocious set of linebackers to set the tone for their perennially top-rated defense, which has carried their entire team for decades...

...but that isn't the case any longer. Under Mike Tomlin, the Steelers have become an offensive-minded entity that has chosen to outscore folks rather than dominate them on defense - and the results have been mixed.

Shifty Dion Lewis and equally shifty James White are keys on Thursday night

Certainly, they have been the second most successful team of the new millennium, winning two Super Bowls and qualifying for the playoffs nine times, but seem to run in cycles of twos, making the post season two years, then skipping a season before hammering out two more playoff berths, and so on, and so on...

The script has changed a bit recently, as the Steelers posted identical 8-8 records in 2012 and 2013 before earning a wildcard berth in 2014, riding the arm of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and their second-ranked offense to an 11-5 record, only to be slapped by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round.

On the surface, that's progress - under the tarp, however, is the fact that they had to win four straight to end the regular season in order to qualify

For certain, it has been feast or famine in running game. When the Steelers were good, they were very good, rushing for 151 yards per game in the nine games where they rushed for over 100 yards - but when they were bad, they were atrocious, averaging just 66 yards per game in the other seven - the trend pointing out that whenever they played a team with a dynamic and stout defensive line, their offensive line just couldn't open holes big enough for their backs to power through...

,,,as Baltimore, Houston, the New York Jets, Kansas City and Cincinnati all held the vaunted Steeler's running game well under the Mendoza line. Good thing for them that Roethlisberger geared up half way through the season and put up some crazy numbers, or they would have been looking at another 8-8 campaign.

After a week 6 loss to the Browns left them with a 3-3 mark, Roethlisberger strung together an impressive streak that saw him pass for over 300 yards in nine of their last 11 games, including outrageous performances against the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, throwing for 522 and 435, respectively.

But when it came down to the nitty gritty, their inability to run the ball in the playoffs doomed them to a one-and-done. At issue, of course, was the fact that the Steelers went into the game with the Ravens without their workhorse back Le'Veon Bell, who went down with knee injury in the season finale against the Bengals, but had been curiously ineffective for a couple of weeks before that.

Bell will also miss the opener at New England, as he is suspended for the game for violating the league's substance abuse policy.  Bell's absence affects both facets of the Steelers' offense, as he was the second leading receiver on the team last season behind All Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown, averaging six receptions a game for nearly 55 yards per contest.

Also suspended for the opener is speedy wide out Martavis Bryant, the second year phenom out of Clemson averaged a ridiculous 21 yards per reception in his rookie season but, like Bell, has a taste for the ganja, and will pay for it through the first four games of the season.

Their offense also took a legitimate hit in the preseason, as All Pro center Maurkice Pouncey suffered a broken ankle and fractured fibula and has been placed on the team's injured reserve list with a designation to return, leaving the pivot duties to journeyman center Cody Wallace, who held up admirably in spot starts backing up Pouncey last season, and will be flanked by offensive linemates who are all incumbent starters from last season.

Kelvin Beachum protects Roethlisberger's blind side and Marcus Gilbert returns at right tackle, while tough guys Ramon Foster and David Decastro join Wallace on the interior, all three grading out as top run blockers - but who will they be blocking for?

Carolina Panthers retread DeAngelo Williams is the only back of any consequence to replace Bell while he serves his suspension, while being backed up by Williams' former Panther teammate and change-of-pace back Jordan Todman. Second year back Dri Archer contributes next to nothing in the running game, but is clearly the team's third down back at this point.

Despite Bryant's absence, one place the Steelers are well stocked is at the pass catching positions, where they will provide a huge test for the Patriots' new-look secondary.

The lack of an effective running game will most likely place most of the production on Roethlisberger and his receivers, but with the Miami of Ohio product a burly, illusive and strong-armed presence in the pocket and out, and his pass catchers a speedy lot, the Steelers could find some success outside the numbers on Thursday night.

The speed and route running crispness of Brown (4.45), rookie Sammie Coates (4.43), third-year Oregon State product Markus Wheaton (4.40) and journeyman speed merchant (4.30) promise to stress the Patriots' corners, particularly Brown split wide and Wheaton coming out of the slot - but New England also must contend with durable and sneaky tight end Heath Miller, who was third on the team in receptions last season.

Belichick experimented with safety Devin McCourty returning to corner in the preseason in anticipation of a situation that the Patriots will find themselves in on Thursday night, so it shouldn't come as a surprise to see McCourty as a dime back, playing the slot or double slot to account for the speed of the Steelers with either Pat Chung or rookie Jordan Richards inching up into the box to take on Miller, leaving third-year blue liner Duron Harmon to patrol the back end - and he will need to be on his toes to make sure none of those burners sneak behind him.

It is unclear whether Patriots' head ball coach Bill Belichick will utilize second-year corner Malcolm Butler or savvy eight-year veteran Tarell Brown on Pittsburgh's top target Antonio Brown, or if he will prefer to keep Butler on the left and Brown on the right, with either Bradley Fletcher or Logan Ryan in the slot - or maybe even McCourty.  But what is clear is that the best way to combat Pittsburgh's speed is to not allow Roethlisberger time to find his targets.

The Steelers' veteran line allowed 33 sacks last season on 641 dropbacks, an average of one sack every in every 20 chances, while the Patriots defense generated 40 sacks in 604 tries, or one sack for every 15 dropbacks by opposing quarterbacks - and the New England pass rush has gotten even better - on paper, at least.

The probable passing down lineup for the Patriots is fearsome indeed, with second-year breakout candidate Dominique Easley flanking versatile and slippery rookie nose tackle Malcom Brown, and elite edge rushers Chandler Jones and Jaball Sheard looking for containment on Roethlisberger - and there is considerable depth along the line, so look for Belichick to substitute often in a rotation.

The defense's second level is among the best in football, as Jerod Mayo, Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins are all athletic, all purpose linebackers, with Collins the most versatile of them all. Collins can be found on Miller on some plays, while he and Hightower are excellent stunt masters who will try to take advantage of Pittsburgh's backup center on "A" gap blitzes.

Rob Ninkovich is in an interesting spot as Sheard has all but taken over his right defensive end position, allowing the Purdue product to become a dangerous chess piece in Belichick's second level.

What gives New England an advantage is that the Steelers just don't have the horses coming out of the backfield to contribute consistently in their passing game, and it remains to be seen if Williams can give them anything on the ground - if not, Belichick may opt to go man with his defensive backs and flood the box with pass rushers which, if successful, will force Pittsburgh to keep a tight end and a back in to pass protect, thereby limiting Roethlisberger's potential targets.

But the best way to keep Pittsburgh's prolific passing attack in check is to limit the time that they are actually on the field, which means that the Patriots' offense should be in four-minute mode - a bit of a tall task given lead back LeGarrette Blount is suspended for the game - but unlike the Steelers, Blount's absence is not as limiting.

With versatile Brandon Bolden the only true big back on the roster in Blount's stead, the Patriots may opt for two back sets, as they employ twin passing backs James White and Dion Lewis, both of whom are dangerous runners, be it up the gut or on wheel routes and screens curling out of the backfield - and this is particularly true against Pittsburgh's less-than-elite secondary.

Julian Edelman and Danny Amedola provide a potent one-two punch in the possession passing game, while oft-maligned Aaron Dobson give the team a field stretcher who actually had his best game as a pro against the Steelers in 2013, sneaking behind their secondary for a perfect bomb from Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady that he took 80 yards to the house.

A couple of wildcards that could test the Pittsburgh secondary are rookie free agent Chris Harper and passing back Travaris Cadet, who offers little in the running game and frequently lines up wide as a receiver in the pros, as he did in college - though Cadet may be inactive as he is still hobbled with a leg issue suffered early in training camp.

Greybeards Mike Mitchell and Will Allen will most likely get the start at the safety spots for Pittsburgh, while William Gay and Cortez Allen should start on the wings - not necessarily a lineup that puts the frighteners into opposing offensive coordinators, though things would be different if third-year safety Shamarko Thomas and fourth-year corner Antwon Blake were more consistent...

...but if New England struggles coming out of the gate with their passing game, it allows the Steelers to involve their linebackers in both the pass rush and in coverage, which flips the advantage to Pittsburgh's sideline.

Linebacker is where the Steelers are the most talented and deep on the defense. with Arthur Moats and Jarvis Jones playing the wings and Lawrence Timmons and speedy-but-undersized Ryan Shazier patrolling the interior. Shazier has had plenty to say this week in regards to the Steeler's plans to slow down Patriots' tight end Rob Gronkowski - and, in truth, he may be the one player that Gronkowski sees on regular basis on Thursday night.

The second year player from Ohio State is more of a strong safety than a linebacker at 6' 2" and 230 pounds, but what sets him apart as a coverage 'backer is his 4.37 speed, meaning that he has the wheels to dominate running backs in the pattern and the speed and hops to stick with either Gronkowski or fellow tight end Scott Chandler up the seam.

Shazier is the key for the Pittsburgh defense against the dink and dunk attack that the Patriots' are likely to employ, as their screen game and getting the ball into the flat will be an extension of their running game.

Like Pittsburgh, New England is down to their second option at center on the offensive line, but unlike the Steelers, the rest of the line isn't loaded down with crusty veterans. Center Bryan Stork was placed on the IR with a designation to return, and the Patriots have a couple of options to replace him, either with veteran pivot Ryan Wendell or with undrafted rookie free agent David Andrews...

...though going with Wendell in that spot leaves at least one of the guard positions manned by a rookie. Both left guard Shaq Mason and right guard Tre Jackson are set to play in their first professional football game, and while both are noted drive blockers in the running game, it remains to be seen how they hold up against the Pittsburgh pass rush.

The Steelers weren't quite as productive in their pass rush in 2014 as in past seasons, netting just 33 sacks on the season, and have since lost their best rusher, linebacker Jason Worilds, to retirement, leaving strong side defensvie end Cameron Heyward and designated pass rush specialist James Harrison as the only true prolific sack artists on the team, though nose tackle Steve McLendon and blind side five-tech Stephon Tuitt have promise in Pittsburgh's 3-4 scheme.

In the end, both teams need to do the same things in order to win their season opener: Pressure the quarterbacks on defense and not let them get to their second reads, while on offense controlling the line of scrimmage and getting the running backs involved in the game plan is paramount...

...and with New England having a decided advantage in both areas, the defending champions should come away with a victory at Gillette Stadium on Thursday night.