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| Offensive defense By Magoo While the Pittsburgh Steelers are waiting to assess the healing progress of their second year quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the Ravens already know it will be Kyle Boller who will be at the helm for Baltimore. If the Steelers determine that Roethlisberger is unable to play the call will go to Tommy Maddox. A Maddox, Boller showdown might make this an interesting game. Indeed! Both the Steelers and Ravens have very good defenses that are capable of giving fits to the top quarterbacks in the league. This leads one to ponder what might happen if these two terrorizing units are turned loose against two quarterbacks who are struggling. In their most recent starts both Boller and Maddox have turned the ball over a total of 4 times each. If this game has these two QBs on the field at the same time it is quite possible that the defenses could actually outscore the opposition's offense. Don't laugh... it could happen. The team that wins this contest will most likely be whichever one commits the fewest errors on offense. This would bode well for the Steelers as their rushing attack is more formidable than that of the Ravens. The Tale of Two Teams in the news While the Steelers are secure about the future of their quarterback the same cannot be said for the Ravens. As Bill Cowher is more concerned about his signal caller’s long-term health, the Ravens are still wondering if Boller will ever live up to his potential. The Baltimore media seems to have little doubt about Boller. Flat out they are certain that he is not the future of the franchise. Going in to this season the Ravens were the favored team to win the AFC North and Boller was one of the reasons why. But now the Ravens have fallen into the basement with a 2-7 record, all hope for the team's future has turned sour. True, Boller has missed 8 games, and it seems almost unfair to place the blame on someone who has played in only two games, but his performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday gave fans a eyeful of what his presence means to the team. Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun is leading the charge. In the Jaguar game, Boller managed to complete only 19 of 33 passes for 142 yards with zero TDs, a fumble, and three interceptions. All three of those errant passes resulted in disaster for the Ravens. In his column on Monday Preston wrote of Boller. "We're not talking about quarterback-of-the-future numbers here. He ended the game with a passer rating of 30.1". Preston is adamant about what the Ravens need to do to turn around the team's fortunes. " The Ravens need to get rid of three or four of their starting offensive linemen. They need to revamp their running game and find a productive halfback. They might need to find a new head coach." Preston doesn't stop there... he tells his readers. "But they also have to find a quarterback. Their present quarterback of the future isn't that guy. They need to find a playmaker at the position, one who can carry a team when others around him don't play well. That's what good NFL quarterbacks do. That's not Boller. It never has been, and never will be." Meanwhile in Pittsburgh Bob Smizik of the Post-Gazette is sour-pussing about the Steelers being 7-2 against a soft schedule, and basically not really in the same class with the Indianapolis Colts. What Mr. Smizik omits from his column is that good teams beat the teams they should beat. What's more, a compelling case could be made that this team could very well be 8-0. As Baltimore is looking to dismantle, the Steelers are replacing parts with aplomb. This season it has not mattered who was behind center for the Ravens, their offense has stunk. On the other hand, the Steelers offense is far from being among the elite especially on third down. There, however, is one stat where they excel. Until last Sunday the Steelers scored all 28 times they had entered the red zone. Many in this town fear how the team will do this Sunday if, God forbid, Ben Roethlisberger is not able to play. About this issue Steeler Coach Bill Cowher had this response. "That, to me, is what makes football teams. That is the essence of team. People understand that. To be able to compensate for the loss of a so-called star player—whether it be the quarterback or running back or a great defensive player—is the challenge that you have. That’s what separates our sport. You talk about the ultimate team game. Its not about any one player. There’s this old adage that players win games but team’s win championships. We are a close football team. It’s going to take everybody. Unfortunately we’ve had to use almost everybody because of injuries." For the past two seasons the Steelers have battled injuries. To their credit, instead of falling apart, they have jelled and produced. On that note it might be interesting if left tackle Marvel Smith is unable to play. He is listed as questionable with an injury to his ankle. Barrett Brooks would his replacement. |