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On a night in which Mother Nature got the fans out of their seats with a storm, Dennis Dixon was able to do the same with his play. 

More importantly, he made the case to get the starting job over Byron Leftwich.

It was not purely Dixon’s play that could earn him the starting job, but instead the poor play of the starting offensive line.

Leftwich stood no chance in the Steelers preseason opener as he was hit and sacked early and often en route to a six of 10 passing performance for 43 yards.  He looked slow and indecisive behind a line that struggled against the pass rush of the Detroit Lions.

Of most concern on the line was newly acquired right tackle Flozell Adams. Known for being a strong run blocker and a weak pass blocker, Adams lived up to his reputation, allowing Cliff Avril to blow right by him for a sack.

If this is a sign of things to come for Pittsburgh’s line, Leftwich will not have an opportunity to succeed.

Dixon, on paper, had a great performance, finishing six of seven passing for 128 and a touchdown while recording a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

These numbers were greatly enhanced by a 51-yard catch and run by Arnaz Battle, who is solidifying his roster spot and a 68-yard touchdown pass to sixth round rookie Antonio Brown, who made a case for himself to make the roster.

Brown finished the game as the leading receiver with three receptions for 84 yards.

Just as he showed in training camp, Dixon more often than not looked for the short pass and while he ran for 31 yards on six carries, these runs were a result of not going through all of his progressions before taking off.

Dixon was matched up against second, third, and fourth stringers of a team who only managed two wins last season. He will have to perform better with his arm against a better defense if he wants to succeed.

However, after watching Leftwich being helpless behind the line, it may be worth giving Dixon a shot with the starting lineup next week to see how he can perform against higher quality competition.

Bruce Arians did a nice job of moving Dixon out of the pocket and these types of plays may be necessary for the Steelers to generate any type of offense.

But if head coach Mike Tomlin continues to go with Leftwich, he will have to make adjustments to the offensive line.

The first change should come with Maurkice Pouncey.

Pouncey asserted himself as center when he entered the lineup on the Steelers’ third drive.

Justin Hartwig and Adams were taken out for Pouncey and Jonathan Scott respectively.

Though the offensive line was matched up against the Lions second string at this point, the entire unit improved its play and this improvement was felt from the center position.

The line was able to open up plenty of holes for Isaac Redman, who ran for a game high 60 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown.

Pouncey was a larger part of this, both figuratively and literally.  He was consistently creating movement in the middle and was even making blocks downfield on a 31-yard run by Redman.

There was no mistake that Pouncey stepped in at center first before switching to right guard later in the game. He is another player who should get an opportunity to start before the preseason is over.

With Pouncey in the lineup, the Steelers will have a much better offensive line.  He is the real deal.

Game Observations

• Rookie receivers Brown and Emmanuel Sanders both had good games, particularly Brown. The Steelers have two very good receiving prospects that may be able to contribute this year.
• Ziggy Hood showed push several times on the offensive line and will be a good contributor this year.
• Stevenson Sylvester was always around the ball, though missed three tackles.  Thaddeus Gibson also flashed some of his skills.
• Keenan Lewis played okay, but was matched up against a very good Calvin Johnson.  Fellow second year cornerback Joe Burnett performed very well as did rookie Crezdon Butler.
• Keyaron Fox is a force in defending the run.
• Kraig Urbik is a much better in game player than practice player.  Tony Hills maybe had his best game as a pro.
• Jonathan Dwyer had a disappointing performance, looking slow and indecisive, but he did not have much room to run.
• Rashard Mendenhall had a great start, then fumbled a ball and dropped a pass.
• Trai Essex pretty much handled second overall pick Ndamukong Suh the entire time he was in.

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Pittsburgh Steelers Running Back, Rashard Mendenhall, is a swing back in a fantasy football draft. It is around the time that he becomes the top RB left on the board that owners consider taking a WR or QB.

Should you stick to your hope of landing a feature back? Or do you go with more points by taking one of the top players at another position.

Things are lining up to give Mendenhall the opportunity to turn the fantasy football feature Running Back corner. The Steelers are expected to attempt to return to their smash-mouth running ways. They are going to be without their starting QB for at least the first month of the season. Maybe most importantly, there is not much of a threat of him losing his first-string job. There was a bit of a scare that the sixth round pick the Steelers used on Jonathan Dwyer may take short yardage carries away, but Mendenhall has not necessarily lost those touches yet.

On to the question marks. The Offensive Line in Pittsburgh has not been helpful for the last few years. This has got to change; not only for winning, but for keeping players healthy, too.

Speaking of healthy, can Mendenhall handle the pounding of the Steelers going back to their run-heavy ways?

We will see.

If he wears down we may see more Dwyer and Mewelde Moore. Of course, with Big Ben suspended, opposing teams are going to notice that and will likely look to stuff the run and make the winner of the backup job beat them.

Mendenhall’s Average Draft Position is falling at pick 2.02. He is picked as early as the mid first round to mid third round. We wouldn’t bank on him lasting to the third often at all. Personally, if I’m picking in the later half of the first round and I have to choose between Mendenhall and Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, you are likely going to see me sway from the first round Running Back hopes and go WR in the first round.

There are a few other backs that should score similar to Mendenhall that I may be able to grab in the second. Now, if I can get Mendenhall in the early second to pair with a top back or receiver I snagged in the first, I’m a happy guy.

At this time Rashard Mendenhall is ranked #8 in our Redraft Running Back Rankings.

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Ben Roethlisberger

Will he be booed or will he be cheered? He is a very good quarterback who has already won two Super Bowl titles and is hungry for more. Unfortunately, he also had an offseason where he was accused of rape. Granted, no charges were filed (you’re innocent until proven guilty), but he did put himself in that situation. Furthermore, fans don’t care about the law; if you’re accused, you’re guilty in their eyes.

The Steelers’ Running Attack versus Ndamukong Suh

The Detroit Lions have had one of the most pathetic defences in recent memory. All that is about to change with the addition of Ndamukong Suh. With Rashard Mendenhall showing he is a solid No. 1 running back, this could be quite a challenge for the first-year DT. In fact, add in Mewelde Moore as a third-down back, and Jonathan Dwyer as a power running back that was projected by some to go in the first round, you’re looking at one of the most difficult matchups Suh will have. It will answer the question whether one man can fix a defence? After all, if the Lions do well against the Steelers’ running attack then the key had to have been Suh. Of course, with how few plays the starters will get it may not be any indication of things to come at all.

Matthew Stafford versus the Steel Curtain

Stafford is one of the most talented prospects in the NFL. The salary he gets is more than most quarterbacks in the league; he is paid like a top five QB. So he needs to go out there and prove he is worth the money. To do that, he needs to fight the best defence in the NFL—the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defence. Dick Lebeau is one of the most imaginative defensive coordinators in the history of the NFL. He has Troy Polamalu manning the backfield for the first several snaps. With the return of Aaron Smith, as well as a healthy Polamalu, expect the Steel Curtain to play very well against Stafford. This is the year Stafford has to prove his worth.

Special Teams

Don’t expect that much of a difference from the Lions special teams. If they improve, it will be the improvement of their young players, but it won’t be much. The Steelers, on the other hand, gave up a lot of touchdowns on special teams. This game may be an indication of whether or not the Steelers have fixed that problem.

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Why is it that every article I read that has any relation to the Pittsburgh Steelers, feels the need to tell me that Ben Roethlisbergers suspended!

Even if the story has nothing to do with the Steelers, it’s fit in there somewhere. Even if at the very end they squeeze in an “O, by the way, Ben Roethlisbergers suspended”.

Yes, I think everyone knows.

Now, after talking about the suspension, the stories usually go on to count the Steelers out this season because of it. If we listened to these critics, the Steelers might as well just pack their bags, go home, and not play this season.

There is plenty going on with the Pittsburgh Steelers that not every article needs to be about Ben Roethlisberger.

So lets talk.

There’s the running back situation. Mewelde Moore is the consensus number two back. Goal line carries are up for grabs between Rashard Mendenhall, Isaac “Redzone” Redman, and rookie Jonathan Dwyer.

While Dwyer has been slowed with a hamstring injury, he has really brought it on as of late. Yet he is still struggling in blocking, and to play on the Steelers, you have to block.

Everyone knows what Redman can do with the ball in his hands, but his blocking has actually impressed many. During the backs on backers drill in camp, Thaddeus Gibson put 6 out of his 7 opponents on their tails. That seventh opponent was Isaac Redman, who flipped Gibson.

Than you have the receivers. Hines Ward will be Hines Ward, thats a given. Mike Wallace really looks poised to take over and make Steeler fans forget about Santonio Holmes. Rookies Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown have both been impressing in camp, especially Sanders. With the return of Antwaan Randle El, the Steelers have the right mix of veterans and youth to be a complete core.

The offensive line definately looks to improve on last year. Max Starks returns at left tackle, while Kemoeatu and Hartwig return healthy this year. For those who don’t know, Hartwig tore his labrum in week 13 against the Raiders last season.

Then you have Essex returning at RG, and Flozell “The Hotel” Adams coming in for the injured Willie Colon at RT. While being older, Hotel is still a force in the running game and figures to help this offensive line as a veteran presence.

Also, Look for rookie Maurkice Pouncey to push for a starting job at either Center or Right Guard. No matter what position, he will be an improvement.

On the defensive side of the ball, Ziggy Hood has been a monster. Yet no one has talked about it because he’s not suspended for 4-6 weeks. He’s made every lineman we have look like a fool and figures to add some much needed youth to our aging line.

You also have the linebacking core. We all know what we will get out of Woodley, Harrison, Timmons, Farrior, and the returning Foote. However there’s three solid rookies to talk about.

Thaddeus Gibson, as I already mentioned, has been looking great. Jason Worilds has been slowed by a hamstring injury, but Stevenson Sylvester has really gotten a grasp of the defense quick.

Sylvester is the dark horse here. As a 5th round pick out of Utah, which doesn’t exactly provide a ton of NFL talent, he looks impossible to keep off the roster. He’s quick, strong, and takes all the right routes to the ball. At the very least he will be a special teamer this year.

On to the secondary. O the secondary. The starters are pretty much set with Polamalu, Clark, Taylor, and B-Mac.

However the nickle back position is up for grabs. The competitors are William Gay, Keenan Lewis, Joe Burnett, and Crezdon Butler.

Everyone seems to forget, before “Big Play” Willie Gay was a horrible starter, he was a great nickle back.
But the favorite seems to be Keenan Lewis, who has good size at 6’0 200lbs.

Finally, you have the games. Yes folks, despite Ben’s suspension, and everyone counting the Steelers out this season, they intend on still playing football.

Did anyone expect the Jets to go as far as they did last season? No. Thats exactly why they actually play the games.

So there you have it, with or without Ben, there’s football to be played and expect the Steelers to give it their all and compete for the playoffs.

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