ESPN.com - NFL - Take 2: Redskins vs. Steelers Friday, November 26, 2004
Scouts Inc.
Tuesday, our scouts filed their advance advance scouting report on this
week's matchup between the Redskins and Steelers. Now they're back with a
second look.
Steelers' rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger is 6'4" tall, he is well-built and
isn't afraid to fight for the extra yard making him very effective on
quarterback sneaks. Washington must be prepared for Roethlisberger to get
the call in short-yardage situations. The key to stopping the sneak is the
defensive tackles playing with leverage. They have to get under the pads
of Pittsburgh's interior offensive lineman and stop the initial surge.
Once Roethlisberger's momentum stops carrying him forward MLB Antonio
Pierce should be in position to make the play.
Roethlisberger has fumbled twice over the past two games and
he isn't practicing good ball security. While there's a lot to like about
Roethlisberger fighting to stay alive in the pocket, he has to do a better
job of covering the ball up with two hands when he feels the pocket
collapsing around him.
Keep an eye on the matchup between Roethlisberger and Washington FS Sean
Taylor. Taylor still appears to be learning the Redskins' defense and he
will get caught out of position at times but that doesn't mean he lacks
instincts. He has a great nose for the ball, has outstanding range and he
is a playmaker.
Roethlisberger must notice where Taylor is lined up while under
center and make sure to look him off before releasing the ball. If he
doesn't, Taylor could make a momentum-shifting play and give Washington
the confidence it needs to win this game.
There are several ways to analyze this game and individual matchups are
important but football will always be a team sport. Teams can adjust their
coverages to protect a struggling corner or slide the protection to help
an offensive lineman. As a result, it's critical that Washington WR's
Lavearnues Coles and Rod Gardner step up this week.
QB Patrick Ramsey will be making just his second start of the season and
he will be facing a Steelers' pass defense that is among the best in the
league. He needs to have confidence that his receivers are going to adjust
to any errant throws and make plays for him even when he makes a mistake.
The problem is the Redskins' receivers have dropped far too many passes
that they should have caught.
RamseyIt's important to note that while Ramsey started eleven games last
year he played in a completely different offense under then head coach
Steve Spurrier. As a result, Ramsey is still learning how to run this
offense in game conditions and is still working on his timing with his
receivers. Washington helped Ramsey by running a lot of three-step drops,
which are designed to allow the quarterback to get rid of the ball
quickly, last week. However, Redskins offensive coordinator Joe Bugel
needs to start taking some chances downfield or Pittsburgh's corners will
start jumping the underneath routes.
One other area that Washington replacing Mark Brunell with Ramsey impacted
was pass protection. The reason is Brunell is left-handed and Ramsey is
right-handed. Redskins' offensive linemen, backs and tight ends may still
be adjusting to the changes and that could lead to some breakdowns in the
blocking scheme. Consequently, Bugel may choose to run more max-protect
schemes to help insure Ramsey gets enough time to find the open man.
One of the ways Pittsburgh will try to keep the Redskins off-balance is
bluffing the blitz. The Steelers' linebackers do a great job of walking up
to the line and faking like they are going to shoot a gap before dropping
off in coverage. It can impact the offense in two ways when done
effectively. It can confuse the offensive line resulting in a breakdown in
the blocking or second it can confuse Ramsey's reads causing him to throw
into coverage.
Washington ROG Randy Thomas is expected to miss two-to-four weeks with a
hamstring injury and ROT Ray Brown will move inside to replace him. Brown
has extensive experience playing guard and it should be a smooth
transition for him but the Redskins will fill the void at right tackle
with rookie Mark Wilson.
Brown would have struggled going up against Pittsburgh LDE Aaron
Smith and Smith could have an even bigger impact now. Although Wilson is
more athletic than Brown, Smith should dominate him at the point of
attack. Smith has the power to anchor against the run and collapse the
pocket as a bull rusher working against the undersized Wilson.
It's important that the Steelers get off to a strong start and get the
crowd involved early. The Redskins committed five false starts and one
delay of game in their loss to Philadelphia last week, as the offense was
clearly having problems staying on the same page. A few big plays or an
early lead for Pittsburgh would elevate the noise level at Heinz Field,
which would make it difficult for Washington to hear the snap count and
change plays at the line. It's also important to note that young offensive
linemen generally have problems picking up the blitz and a loud crowd
would make it difficult for Wilson to communicate with his teammates.
There is a good chance that Washington RDT Cornelius Griffin, who missed
last week's game with a groin injury, is available and his return would
give the interior run defense a boost. Griffin is an excellent interior
run stuffer that plays with a mean streak which makes up for his lack of
ideal bulk by playing with great leverage. His presence in the middle
would make it far harder for the Steelers to run between-the-tackles,
which is what they do best.
Special Teams
Pittsburgh P Chris Gardocki, who placed five of his seven punts inside
Cincinnati's 20-yardline last week, has been both accurate and powerful.
He should continue to help the Steelers win the field position battle.
Washington PK John Hall, who has missed the last five games with a
groin injury, has returned to practice and he could play. That should be
good news for Redskins fans. Hall's replacement, rookie Ola Kimrin, has
struggled to connect on field goal attempts from beyond 40 yards and he
has missed a field goal attempt in each of his last four games.
Prediction: Steelers 24, Redskins 10
Scouts Inc.
Tuesday, our scouts filed their advance advance scouting report on this
week's matchup between the Redskins and Steelers. Now they're back with a
second look.
Steelers' rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger is 6'4" tall, he is well-built and
isn't afraid to fight for the extra yard making him very effective on
quarterback sneaks. Washington must be prepared for Roethlisberger to get
the call in short-yardage situations. The key to stopping the sneak is the
defensive tackles playing with leverage. They have to get under the pads
of Pittsburgh's interior offensive lineman and stop the initial surge.
Once Roethlisberger's momentum stops carrying him forward MLB Antonio
Pierce should be in position to make the play.
Roethlisberger has fumbled twice over the past two games and
he isn't practicing good ball security. While there's a lot to like about
Roethlisberger fighting to stay alive in the pocket, he has to do a better
job of covering the ball up with two hands when he feels the pocket
collapsing around him.
Keep an eye on the matchup between Roethlisberger and Washington FS Sean
Taylor. Taylor still appears to be learning the Redskins' defense and he
will get caught out of position at times but that doesn't mean he lacks
instincts. He has a great nose for the ball, has outstanding range and he
is a playmaker.
Roethlisberger must notice where Taylor is lined up while under
center and make sure to look him off before releasing the ball. If he
doesn't, Taylor could make a momentum-shifting play and give Washington
the confidence it needs to win this game.
There are several ways to analyze this game and individual matchups are
important but football will always be a team sport. Teams can adjust their
coverages to protect a struggling corner or slide the protection to help
an offensive lineman. As a result, it's critical that Washington WR's
Lavearnues Coles and Rod Gardner step up this week.
QB Patrick Ramsey will be making just his second start of the season and
he will be facing a Steelers' pass defense that is among the best in the
league. He needs to have confidence that his receivers are going to adjust
to any errant throws and make plays for him even when he makes a mistake.
The problem is the Redskins' receivers have dropped far too many passes
that they should have caught.
RamseyIt's important to note that while Ramsey started eleven games last
year he played in a completely different offense under then head coach
Steve Spurrier. As a result, Ramsey is still learning how to run this
offense in game conditions and is still working on his timing with his
receivers. Washington helped Ramsey by running a lot of three-step drops,
which are designed to allow the quarterback to get rid of the ball
quickly, last week. However, Redskins offensive coordinator Joe Bugel
needs to start taking some chances downfield or Pittsburgh's corners will
start jumping the underneath routes.
One other area that Washington replacing Mark Brunell with Ramsey impacted
was pass protection. The reason is Brunell is left-handed and Ramsey is
right-handed. Redskins' offensive linemen, backs and tight ends may still
be adjusting to the changes and that could lead to some breakdowns in the
blocking scheme. Consequently, Bugel may choose to run more max-protect
schemes to help insure Ramsey gets enough time to find the open man.
One of the ways Pittsburgh will try to keep the Redskins off-balance is
bluffing the blitz. The Steelers' linebackers do a great job of walking up
to the line and faking like they are going to shoot a gap before dropping
off in coverage. It can impact the offense in two ways when done
effectively. It can confuse the offensive line resulting in a breakdown in
the blocking or second it can confuse Ramsey's reads causing him to throw
into coverage.
Washington ROG Randy Thomas is expected to miss two-to-four weeks with a
hamstring injury and ROT Ray Brown will move inside to replace him. Brown
has extensive experience playing guard and it should be a smooth
transition for him but the Redskins will fill the void at right tackle
with rookie Mark Wilson.
Brown would have struggled going up against Pittsburgh LDE Aaron
Smith and Smith could have an even bigger impact now. Although Wilson is
more athletic than Brown, Smith should dominate him at the point of
attack. Smith has the power to anchor against the run and collapse the
pocket as a bull rusher working against the undersized Wilson.
It's important that the Steelers get off to a strong start and get the
crowd involved early. The Redskins committed five false starts and one
delay of game in their loss to Philadelphia last week, as the offense was
clearly having problems staying on the same page. A few big plays or an
early lead for Pittsburgh would elevate the noise level at Heinz Field,
which would make it difficult for Washington to hear the snap count and
change plays at the line. It's also important to note that young offensive
linemen generally have problems picking up the blitz and a loud crowd
would make it difficult for Wilson to communicate with his teammates.
There is a good chance that Washington RDT Cornelius Griffin, who missed
last week's game with a groin injury, is available and his return would
give the interior run defense a boost. Griffin is an excellent interior
run stuffer that plays with a mean streak which makes up for his lack of
ideal bulk by playing with great leverage. His presence in the middle
would make it far harder for the Steelers to run between-the-tackles,
which is what they do best.
Special Teams
Pittsburgh P Chris Gardocki, who placed five of his seven punts inside
Cincinnati's 20-yardline last week, has been both accurate and powerful.
He should continue to help the Steelers win the field position battle.
Washington PK John Hall, who has missed the last five games with a
groin injury, has returned to practice and he could play. That should be
good news for Redskins fans. Hall's replacement, rookie Ola Kimrin, has
struggled to connect on field goal attempts from beyond 40 yards and he
has missed a field goal attempt in each of his last four games.
Prediction: Steelers 24, Redskins 10
