Steelers Keys to Success Against Broncos are Not the Same as Ravens.

I read an article here on Bleacher this morning, that I have to take issue with. Nick DeWitt is a writer that I respect for his writings, but on this story, I think he is dead wrong.

Mr. Dewitt thinks that the Steelers need to play the way the Baltimore Ravens did against the Denver Broncos next Monday Night in order to be successful. I think the Steelers need to play like the Steelers to be successful.

The Baltimore Ravens led the Broncos 6-0 at half time, then scored on the opening kick off in the second half. If the Steelers are to be successful against the Broncos, a 6-0 half time lead is not the way to do it.

I realize that some Steelers fans are having a hard time accepting the fact that this Steelers team is no longer the Steelers team we grew up watching. We are not a run to set up the pass team, we pass to set up the run.

The Denver Broncos are going to be playing at home next week, on the national stage that is Monday Night football. The crowd is going to be loud, and hungry after losing to the Ravens yesterday. In order for the Steelers to be successful, we are going to have to shut the crowd up.

How do we do that? Not by running the ball, by punching them in the mouth.

Denver is more than likely going to cover Santonio Holmes with Champ Baily. Baily is one of the best cover corners in the NFL, even though he is starting to slow down. People that have Holmes in their fantasy league (me), might want to sit him. Holmes is going to gain his yards on the crossing patterns, and maybe on a deep ball, but only if it is thrown perfectly.

That will leave Brian Dawkins to either double Hines Ward, or cover Heath Miller. Which ever one Dawkins covers, look for Ben to exploit the other. With Mike Wallace becoming the deep threat he is, Dawkins is not going to be able to spend a lot of time at the defensive line, and if he does blitz, look for Miller to have a big day.

By forcing the safeties to double cover the receivers, that will open up the middle lanes, and keep the Broncos from stacking the box, which will allow for the running game to flourish. Mendenhall is going to have to hang on to the ball, and look for Mewelde Moore to get some extra playing time because of the defenses the Broncos will be forced to run.

On defense, the Steelers are what the Ravens have molded themselves to become. If you look at the skill positions, the Steelers are better on almost every one. Jarret Johnson had a massive day against Kyle Orton, but he is no where near the play maker that James Harrison is. Ray Lewis is one of the best in the game, but he is not playing as well as James Farrior is. And a healthy Troy Polamalu is as good if not better than Ed Reed.

The Ravens defense should have been a good warm up for the Broncos to get ready for the Steelers this week, but that is exactly what it was, a warm up.

The Steelers are rated higher than the Ravens against the pass and against the run. The Steelers apply their pressure, not from sending the house, like the Ravens did, they apply the pressure only sending four or five guys, leaving the secondary to play the pass.

The Steelers are not a copy cat team. When teams run the Wild Cat, they do it because of deficiencies on their offense. Why don't you see the Steelers running the wild cat? Because they don't need to.

Playing the Broncos, the Steelers do not need to run someone else's game plan. They need to play Steeler football. The reality is, other than the two defensive let downs, against the Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears, at the end of the games, the Steelers are two plays from being 7-0.

To change the formula that has given us success would become failure. That is the difference between being 5-3 and 6-2, the difference in being a playoff team and one that came close. It is the difference in being the best team in the history of the NFL, and one that wishes they were.