FortKnox's Journal: [Football] NFL Week 1, Game 1

Wanted to do the whole week, but only have time for tonights game.

Obviously I'm picking the Steelers. I still think it won't be that close of a game. Why?

• Mike Mularky, Phins OC. Was the Steelers OC, left to be a head coach. Lost his job, and got demoted to OC again. The Steelers know his offense, well.
• Dom Capers, , Phins DC. Was the Steelers DC, left to be a head coach. Lost his job, and got demoted to DC again. The Steelers know his defense, and he isn't in his comfort zone. Dom is a 34 defense guy, working with a 43 unit.
• The phins defense isn't that great. The secondary is in shambles. The DEs are good, but they are playing against one of the top lines in the league. The LBs are good, but I wouldn't call them 'great'.
• The Steelers D, on the other hand, is still almost entirely their superbowl defense. A replacement of FS and an improvement on a 34 DE. The secondary is the deepest since the Rod Woodson days, which will protect from the pass, well. The LB core is still solid, and still the reason why the Steelers will (again) be tops against the run.
• The Dolphin's D planned against Ben Roethlisburger. Now they have to plan against Charlie Batch. Game plan changes can be bad.
• The only weakness is Charlie Batch, and he's not much of a weakness. The WR core that people think is so thin is actually very very deep. They had to drop Quincy Morgan and Lee Mays from the team. That's a good WR and a WR thats been on the team for years and knows the plays. Both players were getting paid dirt... and they couldn't make it to the FIFTH STRING RECIEVER!
• I don't think Culpepper is fully back from surgery. He was a bit gimpy in the preseason, and hasn't faced a pashrush like the steelers, yet. I see mistakes from him.
• The Dolphins are thin at reciever. Their O-Line was good, last year, under Scott Linehan, who made the Vikings a good unit the years before, but the year before, they were terrible. Will Mularky be able to keep them solid??

• Anywho, I can go on, but its 4, and I've been here since 7... I'm going home to prep for the game...

Enjoy the game!

[Shadow Wrought]

I have packing to do for camping, so I will see maybe the last of the fourth quarter if anything.

Gotta like the Steelers tonight

[TopShelf]

But as a lifelong Lions fan, I just gotta say Charlie Batch is probably the most frustrating QB I've ever seen. He walks like a QB, talks like a QB, stands in the pocket and takes a big hit while making a clutch 20-yard pass for a 1st down, but then on the next play misses an RB wide open in the flat by 10 feet.

I think Miami are criminally overrated

[sielwolf]

Really, their entire six game streak to end last year was a complete joke. They had wins against toothless Oakland, Buffalo, Jets and Tennessee teams or against San Diego/Patriots squads that already had banked their postseason tickets and where resting folks. Add onto that Daunte who hasn't proven to have any real QB skills other than throwing deep to Randy Moss. Also I think their defense has slowly slid downhill from the early 2000's. I think they are in doubt to even go to the playoffs let alone com