Pittsburgh Steelers Defense vs Philadelphia Eagles Offense

Its Time for James Harrison &
Troy Polamalu to Cause Havoc

Its been a while since my Steelers posts haven't been hypothetical and something that you are gauging after the bye week.  Nonetheless, the bye week has come and gone, and now the Steelers have another tough test in front of them as the high powered and high flying Philadelphia Eagles come to Heinz Field to face off at 1:00pm.  Today I analyze 5 Factors of the most intriguing matchup in this game...the Steelers D vs the Eagles Offense.

- Spy vs Spy - I'm not talking about the classic Nintendo game where those weird little guys tried their hardest to set bombs or "booby" traps in attempts to kill one another.  I'm talking about the fact that although Michael Vick is a bit older, and not as dynamic as he once was, some defenses still choose to have someone "spy" him just in case he chooses to tuck the ball away and run.  I used to be a big supporter of the spy, but in this game I don't think its necessary.  As you listen to the Steelers defensive players talk, they talk about how Vick wants to stay in the pocket more than when he was the young player just running all over the place.  That doesn't mean that you don't to game plan for facing Mike Vick...he is still dangerous.  What I am saying is that the Steelers defense should be able to DO THEIR JOB within their scheme and still make plays against the Eagles QB.  Then again, the Steelers haven't been the most disciplined group in the first 3 games, so maybe having Troy spy Vick isn't such a bad idea...

- Live By the Sword and Die By the Sword - This is something that goes both ways in terms of the Steelers vs the Eagles.  On one hand, the Steelers are a blitzing team.  They love to put pressure on the QB with their dynamic zone blitz schemes.  However, when the Steelers blitz, it leaves their secondary vulnerable.  Do that against a team like the Eagles that loves to go deep and stretch the field and you could find yourself watching Desean Jackson or Jeremy Maclin running into the endzone.  On the other hand, the Eagles love to go deep, and if Andy Reid is going to drop Michael Vick into his 5-7 step drops on a consistent basis it is only a matter of time till the Steelers pass rush gets to him.  You live by the sword, and you die by the sword.  Who will live and who will die is something that will be determined on Sunday.

- Steelers DLine vs "Shady" McCoy - Lesean McCoy has turned into one of those versatile backs that is unbelievably difficult to defend.  Just when you think there isn't another Brian Westbrook, the Eagles draft McCoy, and not only is he everything that Westbrook was, but is also faster and has better moves than Westbrook.  Basically, McCoy is Brian Westbrook 2.0...the new and improved version.  The Steelers haven't stopped the run like they have in the past, and it could be because of the inexperience and lack of depth on the DLine.  Nonetheless, the Eagles very well might abandon the deep ball on Sunday and try to mimic the Ravens game plan vs the Steelers and get the ball to McCoy like the Ravens do with Ray Rice.  If that happens, the Eagles have a great chance of winning as the Steelers have yet to show they can actually shut down an elite RB so far this season.

- Turnover Feast of Famine - The Eagles have been a team that loves to turn the ball over.  Through the first 3 games they had turned the ball over at least 3 times in every game.  They fixed that vs the Giants on SNF last week, but will they continue their new trend, or creep back to the turnover happy team?  Alot can be said for both.  If you put pressure on Vick and get him flustered he is guaranteed to try and fit the ball into small windows which can lead to the defense being able to take advantage of mistakes.  If the Eagles line protects Vick well and he gets comfortable, that is when Vick becomes Superman that we used to see on a regular basis.  The Steelers will have to get to Vick early and often to force some turnovers...whether they are INTs or Fumbles doesn't matter...as long as the Eagles cough it up.

- Steelers Defense to Have Full Roster, or Depleted Unit - Sure Mike Tomlin said that James Harrison and Troy Polamalu will play on Sunday, but is that lip service, wishful thinking, or truth.  If both suit up for the black n' gold then I like the Steelers defense in terms of this matchup.  However, if both don't play it will severely hinder the Steelers ability to do exactly what they want to do in this game.  Without Harrison the coverage ALWAYS rolls to Woodley, and without Troy the secondary seems to always look lost.  If they play, that is phenomenal, but I am not going to hold my breath.  The Steelers need to not only get them back on the field, but to KEEP them on the field so these injuries don't become season-long issues. 

This game is as close to a "must win" as any in terms of a Week 5 matchup.  Mike Tomlin has only lost once coming off of a bye, and Tomlin is sure to have the Steelers ready to go on Sunday.  Look for more Steelers vs Eagles coverage as the week unfolds, leading up to kickoff.