How the Steelers can win with Mike Vick

Sunday was bittersweet for Steelers fans, and the general consensus is that the bitter outweighs the sweet by a large margin. The sweet part of Sunday afternoon was that the Steelers pulled out a gutsy 12-6 win on the road against a tough St. Louis Rams team, and proved that they can win even when their explosive offense is not clicking. The bitter part for Steelers fans was that they received the news that they would be deprived of the privilege of watching #7 line up behind the center for
at least one month.

Early in the 3rd Quarter, Rams Safety Mark Barron accidentally drove his helmet into the knee of Ben Roethlisberger, knocking him out of the game. Early Sunday evening, it was reveled that the QB and unquestioned leader of the Black and Gold has a sprained MCL and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, if not more. The man who is replacing Big Ben is none other than Mike Vick. That's right. The man who caused many Steelers fans to claim to throw away their loyalty to the team will now be all over television for at least the next month, and it will be a great test of loyalty for those who blew up social media declaring that the Steelers were dead to them.

For Steelers fans who made these threats and didn't go through with them (I'm sure there were plenty of them), Vick starting is a chance to show just how badly they exaggerated their outrage when he was signed back in August.  For those who went through with their threats of abandonment (which I suspect there were few),  it will make the withdrawal process much easier. For those like myself who support Vick, it's an opportunity to see just how much the former Virginia Tech Hokie has left in the tank.

While losing Roethlisherger is a massive loss that puts a dent in the Porsche that is the Steeler offense, it may be nothing more than a flat tire that is fixable. Here are some ways in which the Steelers can manage Ben's injury and remain in playoff contention with Vick as a substitute teacher:

Receivers  
The Steelers still have plenty of weapons in their arsenal, and having 2 of the most dangerous offensive threats in the game at his disposal will make the transition much easier for Vick to handle. Having Antiono Brown, Le'veon Bell, Marcus Wh
eaton, Heath Miller and, after this Thursday, Martavis Bryant to throw to is something that every quarterback would love to have, and I think Vick is capable of working with this group.

Le'veon a prayer 
Le'veon Bell is the man. After serving a suspension for the first 2 weeks of the season as a result of the McKnight Road Incident, Bell made his season debut in St. Louis on
Sunday and played a big role, accounting for 132 yards of total offense, 70 of which were receiving. With Ben out, the Steelers will not be as active in throwing the deep ball, which means that short passes will become even more prevalent in Todd Haley's offensive game plan. As good as Antonio Brown is, Bell is the focal point of this offense because he possesses a versatility that is so rare among running backs and has never been seen in Pittsburgh. Bell is a joy to watch no matter who is behind center, and I'm intrigued to see just how good he can be as the year goes on.

Depth at Runningback

While Bell was serving his suspension, Deangelo Williams was called on to fill his shoes. Williams exceeded the expectations of a lot of Steelers fans by rushing for 204 Yards on 41 Carries in 2 games, before curiously getting only one touch against the Rams when Bell returned this past Sunday. As good as Bell is, getting Williams involved would improve the offense a great deal. If used correctly, Williams would take carries away from B
ell, which would give Le'Veon less of a workload and decrease the risk of injury. The Steelers are no stranger to mismanaging  (Lagarratte Blount anyone?) Let's hope the Steelers take advantage of the options that Williams gives them.

Defense???????

It;s too early to determine weather the Steelers defense will serve as an asset or be the teams Achilles heal. John Butler has plenty of talent to work with in his first year as the team's defensive coordinator, but there is also inexperience that comes with that talent. Out of 11 defensive starters, only 3 are above the age of 30, and 3 have 3 years or less of NFL experience. After a disappointing Week 1 performance in Foxborough, the past 2 weeks went smoothly for the defense, as they allowed a combined total of just 24 points against San Francisco and St. Louis. It's always hard to tell if young players can play consistently well, but if the Steelers defensive unit can keep riding the high wave that they have been on the past 2 weeks, it will make life without Big Ben a lot easier to get through.

Vick's Mobility
From 2001-2006, Mike Vick was arguably the greatest running quarterback in the history of the NFL. Although his feet are not what they used to be, Vick still has the ability to pull off a big run once in a while (i.e against the Steelers last year as a member of the New York Jets), and he is a better scrambler than Roethlisberger. Vick's mobility will help keep opposing defenses guessing, as they know not to underestimate what Vick can still do with his legs.

Experience 
Simply put, Mike Vick knows what he's doing.  He's been an NFL Quarterback since 2001, and has spent most of his time in the league as a starter. The Steelers are fortunate to have the luxury of having a back-up QB that they know will not get rattled in emergency situations, an asset which plenty of teams, such as the Patriots, don't have. Vick seemed very calm in his appearance in St. Louis, and I think he will retain that confidence come Thursday Night at Heinz Field. I'm much more comfortable with Vick starting than I would be if I were a Patriots fan facing the reality of Jimmy Garoppolo starting for 4 weeks.

I am predicting that, assuming the timetable for Ben's return is accurate, the Steelers will go 2-2 in the 4 week interim. 4-2 if he is out for 6. Losing Big Ben is a crushing blow, but I say to all Steelers fans for the time being that rather than panic, just sit back, relax, and see if Mike Vick has one last miracle left in him.