Rams-Steelers: 7 For Sunday/PD

[RamBill]

Rams-Steelers: 7 For Sunday
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_e0a78527-c481-530c-87e6-977f7ab2c0de.html

Go ahead, just try to sack Ben Roethlisberger. Opposing pass rushers look like kids climbing on a playground Jungle Gym — with Roethlisberger in the role of the Jungle Gym — trying to get the big fellow down. Pressure from the edges doesn’t seem to make him antsy. Your best chance is trying to disrupt him with pressure up the middle. That’s your cue, Pittsburgh native Aaron Donald. Roethlisberger was out when the teams met in 2011, so this marks the first time he’s played the Rams since 2007.

PROTECTING BIG BEN

Despite Roethlisberger’s penchant for standing firm in the pocket, and waiting — and waiting some more — for receivers to get open, he has been sacked only twice and barely got touched last week by San Francisco. Even with four-time Pro Bowl C Maurkice Pouncey out with an injury, the Pittsburgh offensive line has been surprisingly effective. Cody Wallace has filled in for Pouncey. The Steelers have been able to run the ball without Le’Veon Bell and scored three rushing TDs vs. the 49ers.RING THAT BELLBell missed the first two games of the season while serving an NFL suspension. But he’s cleared to go and Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin says Bell is ready for a full load in St. Louis. Although he’s trimmer than his college days at Michigan State, at 225 pounds Bell is still a power back. After making Washington rookie Matt Jones look like a star last week, the Rams are stepping up in class against Bell, who had a franchise record 2,215 yards rushing and receiving in 2014. Huge challenge.

BROWN & CO.

Opponents are completing an astounding 80.9 percent of their passes against the Rams so far this season, so when it comes to the Rams’ secondary vs. the Steelers’ receiving corps, it looks like a big mismatch. Antonio Brown is the NFL’s top WR, and he can beat you in all ways — long, short, and in between. Darrius Heyward-Bey is among the league’s fastest players, running a 4.25 in the 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine. The Rams have to keep Brown and Heyward-Bey from getting behind them. That’s Job 1.LINEBACKER CENTRALYes, the Rams have five first-round draft picks on their defensive line. Well, the Steelers have four former first-round picks at linebacker. It’s a physical, fast-flowing group that can press the point of attack but also go sideline to sideline to run down perimeter plays. Second-year LB Ryan Shazier is an emerging star, but has been scratched for Sunday’s game because of a shoulder injury. Rookie Bud Dupree, who paid a pre-draft visit to Rams Park, already has two sacks coming off the bench.

THE BACK END

If the Steelers have a weakness, it’s their secondary. Granted, they drew Tom Brady in Week 1, and Colin Kaepernick got some garbage yards in Week 2, but the Steelers are 27th in passing defense, yielding 289.5 yards per game. Through injury or sub par performance, four DBs the Steelers had starting hopes for are either on the bench or not contributing much. So it’s a patchwork group, but an aggressive unit, with veteran William Gay and former street free agent Antwon Blake starting at corner.OH, BY THE WAYWhen he’s not catching a zillion passes, Antonio Brown still finds the time to shag punts for Pittsburgh. Actually, he does more than just catch them — he has averaged 10 yards-plus per return in three of his five previous NFL seasons and has three career punt return TDs. The Rams have tightened up their punt coverage considerably since allowing a TD against Seattle’s Tyler Lockett on Johnny Hekker’s first boot of the season, but can’t afford to take Brown lightly.

 

[RamBill]

Rams brace for Steelers' juggernaut
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_af584083-c646-58f0-abe3-60a1cd30cd88.html

The Rams know they let one slip away last week in Washington. And watching an 0-2 New York Giants squad easily dispatch Washington on Thursday night only brought back the sickening feeling of dropping a game they should’ve won.

There’s only one way to get that one back. Namely, by winning a contest that no one expects them to win, such as Sunday’s noon kickoff against Pittsburgh at the Edward Jones.

Don’t let Pittsburgh’s 1-1 record fool you. The Steelers were never really stopped by New England in a 28-21 opening-day loss; they stopped themselves. Last week, the Steelers stomped San Francisco 43-18 in a contest that wasn’t as “close” as even that final score might indicate.

Coach Mike Tomlin’s crew comes to the Gateway City simply sizzling on offense. The Steelers have the league’s topped-rank team in total offense, and that’s with three of their top five offensive players missing in running back Le’Veon Bell, wide receiver Martavis Bryant, and center Maurkice Pouncey.

Bryant (suspension) and Pouncey (injury) won’t be on hand Sunday. But Bell, the team MVP from 2014, is back from a two-game suspension. Wide receiver Antonio Brown has been unstoppable and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger arguably is playing the best football of his 12-year NFL career.

Asked specifically about the return of Bell and the strong overall Pittsburgh running game, Rams coach Jeff Fisher said: “I’m concerned. Our defense is concerned. We have respect for them. We know that it’s going to start there.”

But it doesn’t end there.

“Other than that, they have an outstanding passing game,” Fisher said. “They have a quarterback that can throw it all over the place. They have a couple of the best receivers in ’ball.”

Based solely on what took place last week against Washington, the Rams’ offense will try to match Pittsburgh’s Star Wars attack with ... a popgun.

The Rams managed only 213 yards against a so-so Washington defense, marking the sixth-lowest offensive output in 50 games of Fisher football in St. Louis. The Rams may or may not have highly-touted rookie running back Todd Gurley available for Pittsburgh, with Fisher labeling his status a game-time decision.

Gurley would help, but even if he plays it’s not like he’s going to stroll out of the locker room and get 25 touches in his NFL debut. After all, he hasn’t played in a competitive situation since suffering his knee injury last November at Georgia.

Overall, the promise shown during a strong offensive outing against Seattle was replaced by a unit stuck in neutral against Washington.

“We just didn’t get into a rhythm,” quarterback Nick Foles said. “That’s on me. I’ve got to make sure to get some easy completions here and there. Football’s such a rhythm game that if you can’t get into a rhythm, it’s very difficult to sustain a drive, convert on third down, keep your defense off the field.”

The strength of the Steelers’ defensive unit in their 3-4 alignment is the front seven, with most of the star power at linebacker. Even with young talent Ryan Shazier out with a shoulder injury at inside linebacker, they are formidable up front.

“Everybody knows about their history with their defense,” Foles said. “Their front seven are among the best in the league. They do a really good job of stopping the run.”

So the Rams worked on their running game and their third-down game on offense during the practice week. It was a mirror image on the other side of the ball, where the Rams’ biggest concerns coming out of Washington were run defense and third-down defense.

Compounding matters Sunday is the fact that the Dome will resemble Heinz Field West. As was the case the last time Pittsburgh played here, in 2007, the place will be swarming with Steelers fans waving Terrible Towels.

A crowd of about 50,000 is expected to be in the stands, and up to 20,000-25,000 of them could be Steelers fans. It doesn’t happen very often, but the Rams’ offense could have trouble hearing in its own house. That means Foles may be forced to use a silent count to get plays called.

“I’m not really thinking that way, but if we have to, that’s something that we’ve practiced,” Foles said. “We’re going to be at home, and I want to use our home-field advantage and have our fans loud.”

Every little bit would help. Embarrassed on both sides of the ball last week, the Rams want to show that last week wasn’t really who they are.

“Absolutely,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said, speaking specifically of a defense gashed for 182 yards rushing. “It hurts the whole defense’s pride when you give up that many on the ground.”

“We love the challenge,” safety T.J. McDonald added. “They’re coming into our house. We want to protect our home field, and do what we’re supposed to do as a secondary. You want to make sure no balls get over your head. That’s the biggest thing.

“And our pass rushers have to get after the passer. And when you get your chance on Big Ben, he’s a big dude, so you want to be able to get him down when you get a chance.”

Last week’s pratfall against Washington illustrated a recurring theme of Fisher’s Rams, an inability to maintain the consistency, execution, and intensity needed to be successful on a regular basis in the NFL. In that sense, the Rams have shown a tendency to play down to the level of their competition.

That shouldn’t be the issue this week, or the next three Sundays for that matter. Because after Pittsburgh comes Arizona. And after Arizona, Green Bay. The Arizona and Green Bay contests are road games. In terms of quarterbacks alone, you’re talking Roethlisberger, Carson Palmer, and Aaron Rodgers back-to-back-to-back.

“So we’re gonna find out a lot about what kind of club we have in the next three (games),” Laurinaitis said. “But it starts with this offensive machine that’s coming to town Sunday.”

 

[Ballhawk]

Fisher got out coached last week, by Jay Gruden! I hate to think about what is going to happen this week!