tibor
12-20-2007, 04:43 PM
http://media3.steelers.com/MediaContent//2007/12/02/19/07_CIN_j,harrison_85364.jpg
By BOB LABRIOLA - Steelers.com
The following are some of the interesting matchups to watch when the Steelers travel to St. Louis to face the Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on Thursday night:
STEELERS RUN DEFENSE VS. RAMS RB STEVEN JACKSON: Remember how good Fred Taylor looked running the ball last Sunday at Heinz Field? His combination of speed and power, how he broke tackles? Remember how he looked unstoppable? Remember all of that when you settle down to watch the Steelers play the Rams, because Steven Jackson is better than Fred Taylor. Jackson hasn’t had a better career than Taylor, but that Taylor also has had not yet anyway, but he’s bigger and faster and more athletic. Jackson is a back who can run over a linebacker and then instantly kick it into high gear to out-run a cornerback.
He missed four games earlier this season because of injury, and that’s the only reason why he’s only No. 8 in the NFC in rushing, but last week, he gained 143 yards on 24 carries with a 46-yard touchdown. The Steelers will get a healthy Steven Jackson on Thursday night, and this is another guy who won’t go down unless the tacklers wrap their arms. He won’t be knocked off his feet.
STEELERS OLB JAMES HARRISON VS. RAMS QB MARC BULGER: Quarterbacks who play for Mike Martz take a lot of hits, and Bulger certainly falls into that category. In his first four full seasons as a starter, Bulger threw 81 touchdown passes, but he also was sacked 153 times. That’s way too much punishment for a quarterback to take, and Bulger has missed four starts this season, and he started against the Packers on Dec. 16 for the first time in 21 days because of a concussion. Bulger suffered a concussion Nov. 25 during a 24-19 loss to Seattle. He missed the last two games -- a 28-16 victory over Atlanta and a 19-10 loss to Cincinnati -- because of the injury. After a full week of practice with no concussion-related symptoms, Bulger was cleared to start against the Packers, and in that game he completed 20-of-39 for 219 yards and one touchdown, a 4-yard scoring strike to Torry Holt in the first quarter. He was intercepted twice, but both times the ball bounced off the hands of the intended receiver. The Rams are a different team with Bulger at quarterback, and the Steelers haven’t recorded a sack since Dec. 2 against the Bengals. Harrison leads the Steelers in sacks, and he’ll get to showcase his status as a Pro Bowl player for the first time on Thursday.
STEELERS CB IKE TAYLOR VS. RAMS WR TORRY HOLT: Even though the Rams had to play four full games and parts of three others this season with either Gus Frerotte or Brock Berlin at quarterback, Holt still has 83 catches for 1,055 yards and seven touchdowns. Once the star, Isaac Bruce has become more of a complementary player as Holt established himself as one of the NFL’s best, but the presence of Bruce and a healthy Jackson in the backfield make Holt even more dangerous than usual. Against the Patriots, the Steelers moved Taylor around because he had the size to contend with Randy Moss, but at 6-foot Holt isn’t particularly tall. The Rams have a lot of guys on injured reserve, but a couple of big plays from Holt could negate the impact of a lot of those absences.
STEELERS PASS PROTECTION VS. RAMS MLB WILL WITHERSPOON: Three of the six big-name players the Rams have on injured reserve play defense, including Leonard Little, who came into the season with 74 career sacks, 13 of which he posted in 2006. Finding a way to make up for that lost production has been a challenge for coordinator Jim Haslett, and one of the answers he has come up with is Witherspoon. With tackle La’Roi Glover leading the linemen with four sacks, Witherspoon has stepped into the breech to lead the team with seven sacks. Witherspoon is not going to accumulate his sacks by coming off the corner and beating offensive tackles with speed and/or leverage as much as he’s going to find gaps in the pass protection and use those to get to the quarterback. It’ll be important to know where he is and track him through the pre-snap process, because as a middle linebacker in the base defense Witherspoon often could have a direct route to the passer.
By BOB LABRIOLA - Steelers.com
The following are some of the interesting matchups to watch when the Steelers travel to St. Louis to face the Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on Thursday night:
STEELERS RUN DEFENSE VS. RAMS RB STEVEN JACKSON: Remember how good Fred Taylor looked running the ball last Sunday at Heinz Field? His combination of speed and power, how he broke tackles? Remember how he looked unstoppable? Remember all of that when you settle down to watch the Steelers play the Rams, because Steven Jackson is better than Fred Taylor. Jackson hasn’t had a better career than Taylor, but that Taylor also has had not yet anyway, but he’s bigger and faster and more athletic. Jackson is a back who can run over a linebacker and then instantly kick it into high gear to out-run a cornerback.
He missed four games earlier this season because of injury, and that’s the only reason why he’s only No. 8 in the NFC in rushing, but last week, he gained 143 yards on 24 carries with a 46-yard touchdown. The Steelers will get a healthy Steven Jackson on Thursday night, and this is another guy who won’t go down unless the tacklers wrap their arms. He won’t be knocked off his feet.
STEELERS OLB JAMES HARRISON VS. RAMS QB MARC BULGER: Quarterbacks who play for Mike Martz take a lot of hits, and Bulger certainly falls into that category. In his first four full seasons as a starter, Bulger threw 81 touchdown passes, but he also was sacked 153 times. That’s way too much punishment for a quarterback to take, and Bulger has missed four starts this season, and he started against the Packers on Dec. 16 for the first time in 21 days because of a concussion. Bulger suffered a concussion Nov. 25 during a 24-19 loss to Seattle. He missed the last two games -- a 28-16 victory over Atlanta and a 19-10 loss to Cincinnati -- because of the injury. After a full week of practice with no concussion-related symptoms, Bulger was cleared to start against the Packers, and in that game he completed 20-of-39 for 219 yards and one touchdown, a 4-yard scoring strike to Torry Holt in the first quarter. He was intercepted twice, but both times the ball bounced off the hands of the intended receiver. The Rams are a different team with Bulger at quarterback, and the Steelers haven’t recorded a sack since Dec. 2 against the Bengals. Harrison leads the Steelers in sacks, and he’ll get to showcase his status as a Pro Bowl player for the first time on Thursday.
STEELERS CB IKE TAYLOR VS. RAMS WR TORRY HOLT: Even though the Rams had to play four full games and parts of three others this season with either Gus Frerotte or Brock Berlin at quarterback, Holt still has 83 catches for 1,055 yards and seven touchdowns. Once the star, Isaac Bruce has become more of a complementary player as Holt established himself as one of the NFL’s best, but the presence of Bruce and a healthy Jackson in the backfield make Holt even more dangerous than usual. Against the Patriots, the Steelers moved Taylor around because he had the size to contend with Randy Moss, but at 6-foot Holt isn’t particularly tall. The Rams have a lot of guys on injured reserve, but a couple of big plays from Holt could negate the impact of a lot of those absences.
STEELERS PASS PROTECTION VS. RAMS MLB WILL WITHERSPOON: Three of the six big-name players the Rams have on injured reserve play defense, including Leonard Little, who came into the season with 74 career sacks, 13 of which he posted in 2006. Finding a way to make up for that lost production has been a challenge for coordinator Jim Haslett, and one of the answers he has come up with is Witherspoon. With tackle La’Roi Glover leading the linemen with four sacks, Witherspoon has stepped into the breech to lead the team with seven sacks. Witherspoon is not going to accumulate his sacks by coming off the corner and beating offensive tackles with speed and/or leverage as much as he’s going to find gaps in the pass protection and use those to get to the quarterback. It’ll be important to know where he is and track him through the pre-snap process, because as a middle linebacker in the base defense Witherspoon often could have a direct route to the passer.