Steelers-Dolphins: 3 Keys to Victory

By: Joe Smeltzer

Hello, all. Welcome to the second of 3 straight contests between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the AFC East. This week, Pittsburgh will travel to the land of Miami, Florida to take on the 1-4 Miami Dolphins. Here are three things that the Steelers can do to ensure a 3rd straight victory.

Key #1: Make sure Bad Ryan Tannehill shows up

Photo creds to Cbs Sports

The 5th year man from Texas A&M has had an up-and-down NFL career and has shown flashes of the brilliance that made him the 8th overall pick in 2012. This is the second straight week in which the Steelers defense will be up against a Jekell and Hyde QB. They handled Ryan Fitzpatrick well last week, and if  the Steelers pressure Tannehill into making rushed, poor decisions, and the corners can contain Miami's receivers (the Dolphins wideouts also contain themselves sometimes), then it will be hard for the Dolphins sub-par offense to get much of anything going.

Odds of execution: Solid 

Key #2: Atone for the loss of Cam Heyward 

Photo creds to Pittsburgh Post Gazette

In my opinion, Cam Heyward is the most important player on the Steelers defense. He is out this week with a hamstring injury, so that means the rest of the Steelers defensive line will have to have a motive. Stephon Tuitt, Ricardo Matthews, and Javon Hargrave all show promise, and all 3 of them will have to be on their A game in the absence of #97. Luckily, the Dolphins offense does not put fear into the hearts of anybody.

Odds of excution: Fantastic 

Key #3: Don't play at Miami's leval. 
We've seen the Steelers slip up against bad teams far too often in the past two years, and Pittsburgh needs to keep their momentum going with a mega-clash with New England just two weeks away. Miami should not beat the Steelers. Miami is not better than the Steelers. Miami is not very good. Therefore, the only way the Steelers can lose is if they come out flat.

Final Prediction
Steelers 24, Dolphins 14
This will be a victory, but not a convincing one. The Steelers defense will continue their run of form and limit the mediocre Miami attack. I expect a good, but not overly convincing performance from the Steelers offensive juggernaut. Pittsburgh won't play a flawless game, but they will do enough to beat Miami and move to 5-1 on the season.

A Brave New Ballgame

A Brave New Ballgame:

How the Warriors continue to push basketball’s limits

The Golden State Warriors are in a strange position this year. They could have had the chance to go for a three-peat this last season. This would have cemented their legacy as one of the best teams of all time. Yet somehow, they might even be better than that. On a recent Podcast with NBA journalist Zach Lowe, Steve Kerr was asked a fascinating question, “If god came to you on the night of game seven last year, and said, “You can either win this game, or loose and sign Kevin Durant, which would you have picked?” Kerr, smartly, didn’t pick either. He just replied by saying, “Time will tell.” He’s right, the Warrior’s could easily run off a new three-peat if everything breaks right, or this could be an unstable chemistry experiment that ends with Durant opting out of the second year of his deal. Experiment is a good word for what the Warriors will be doing this season. Since this core group has been working together, they’ve been making us all question what “winning” basketball looks like. This is the year it could go from chem-lab to mad science.  

   The style they play, much to the ire of many retired players, is very perimeter centric. Conventional wisdom has always held that you need a surefire way of producing baskets inside in order to win at the highest level. Shooting, no matter how great, is much more erratic, and therefore cannot always be relied upon to win you games. To say the Warriors are some live by the long ball team on a perpetual hot streak is greatly underselling the beauty of Kerr’s system and the skills of the players within it. The Warriors do produce buckets in the paint, but they just do it by ball and player movement as opposed to much more conventional post ups. Though their success speaks for itself, these critics were somewhat validated on the final play of the Warriors season. With the clock winding down, point guard Stephen Curry, laid out a combination of ineffective dribble moves, and hoisted a fading three over Kevin Love. Curry makes these shots on a routine basis, but with everything riding on the percentage of that shot going in it's understandable to prefer a simple post up 10-feet from the basket.  

Durant solves this problem. Besides Shaun Livingston, the Warriors have almost never posted the ball to score in the last two seasons. Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut are and were great playmakers out of the post, but you were never going to throw it to them in order to get a basket late in the game. Durant is a walking mismatch. In the post or on the perimeter, giving him the ball and getting out of the way will almost always produce a high quality look.  Unlike in Oklahoma City, where Durant was simply one of two threats to score, the thing that will make this team unlike anything we’ve seen before is the sheer amount of passing and shooting skill they will be able to put on the court at once.

Durant is a very heady basketball player, something that gets overshadowed because of his scoring ability, and should be able to fit right in with the other offensive weapons around him. On paper, it looks like they have thrown conventional basketball to the wind. With Bogut in the lineup, they always had some kind of insurance against teams with dominating big men. Though Zaza Pachulia is a very good replacement for him in wake of the Durant signing, he isn't the same defensive player that Bogut is. The Warriors are going all in on this bet now. A bet that a combination of heady, undersized basketball players will be able to beat a physically larger team more often than not. The result will probably cast ripples across the basketball landscape for years to come, and watching how it play out will be fascinating.             

NFL Week 5 Preview

Patriots at Browns:

Joe: The king is back. The Browns are dead 

Jeff: just wait on it!

Brad: Brady's back.

Philadelphia at Detroit:

Joe: Will the Eagles come back to earth? Eventually. But the Lions are a joke, and they will not be the first team to stop Carson "Big Ben 2.0" Wentz

Eagles 33, Lions 14

Jeff: somehow they are doing pretty good this year!

Brad:  The Eagles are a good team, not a great one.  But the Lions are no match for them.  Eagles will win, probably big.

Chicago at Indianapolis: 

Joe: Two terrible teams. But the thing is, one of them actually has a chance of turning things 

around. And it ain't the Bears. 

Colts 35, Bears 20

Jeff: Colts defense couldn't stop the jags, won't stop the Bears

Brad:  Indianapolis has been awful this season.  That will continue against a mediocre Bears team.  

Tennessee at Miami:

Joe: Who cares? Tennessee, I guess. 

Jeff: Dolphins dont look too impressive, I think the Titans will run the ball like crazy and beat em

Brad:  Dolphins will be able to beat the Titans.  I expect Lamar Miller to have a huge day against this 

defense.  It will be a good game, but the Fins will pull away late.

Houston at Minnesota:

Joe: The Vikings are a good football team, but my gut tells me they are due for a bit of a reality check. I'm high on Brock Osweiler and the Texans, and see them getting a big road W here.

Texans 17, Minnesota 10

Jeff: Vikings have played well all year and the Texans have not

Brad:  The Vikings are 4-0 because of their defense who have shut down star after star this season.  No way is Brock Osweiler able to crack the code.

NY Jets at Pittsburgh:

Joe: I made a separate preview for this one, pal. 

Jeff: Jets will hold them close but the steelers will pull away In the second half

Brad: I see this as a potentail trap game for the Steelers, but Bell & Co. won't be stopped. Brandon Marshall should just leave the car at Antonio Brown's place while he is already in Pittsburgh.

Washington at Baltimore:

Joe: The Redskins are, at best, a mediocre football team. The Ravens are 3-1, but have not been 

impressive. Fairly uninteresting game, but I'll take the Ravens. Flacco will give his heart to the hometown fans.

Ravens 31, Redskins 21 

Jeff: redskins didn't look too impressive last week.

Brad: The Redskins almost lost to the Browns.  Nuff said.

Atlanta at Denver:

Joe: The Falcons have had a nice little run, but they are playing the champs in their backyard. Regardless of who is playing QB, Demver's defense can shut down anybody. Atlanta's hot streak will be halted at the hands of Von Miller and co. 

Jeff: they are really good and Paxton Lynch will play great replacing Seiman

Brad: Denver will win because their defense is better than the Falcons offense.  And the Broncos' offense is better than the Falcons defense.

Cincinnati at Dallas:

Joe: This is a toss up, but I think that Cincy is due for a big win. Dallas ha not played a team like the Bungles yet, and although I don't want it to happen, I think the Cowboys offense will have a roadblock against Cincy's impressive D. 

Bungles 28, Cowboys 17

Jeff: Cowboys can run the ball and I think they will run all over the bengals

Brad:  This is a must win game against the Bengals and I expect Elliott to have trouble facing the 

Cincinnati defense. 

San Diego at Oakland:

Joe: If you've read my earlier previews, you know how I feel about Derek Carr and Amari Cooper. The pitiful Chargers will not slow down the Silver and Black attack.

Raiders 34, Chargers 14. 

Jeff: Raiders don't have enough offense to beat the chargers

Brad:  I seem to pick the Chargers every week and they let me down last week.  This is the week they can hold their lead.  I think?

Buffalo at Los Angeles:

Joe: No, Jeff. It is the Bills who "aren't that good". While I'm not sold on LA quite yet,I still like them enough to take out a suspect Buffalo team at home. The Rams defense wok shut down Tyrod Taylor, and the LA Express will keep rolling along. 

Rams 20, Bills 10 

Jeff: Rams just aren't that good

Brad:  The Rams were able to defeat the Seahawks.  I see no reason why they would lose to Buffalo.

NY Giants at Green Bay:

Joe: Aaron Rodgers. Primetime. Ball game. 

Packers 35, Giants 20. 

Jeff: should be an easy win for the pack

Brad:  The Packers are just a better team than the Giants.  I expect a close game, but the Packers will end up winning.

Tampa Bay at Carolina:

Joe: Jameis Winston> Derek Anderson. It will be close,but the loss of Super Cam will be too much for the reeling Panthers do overcome. I don't know if anybody saw a 1-4 start coming for Carolina, but it just light be happening.

Bucs 20, Panthers 13

Jeff: should be a really good MNF game, expect the panthers d to disappoint again

Brad:  The Panthers have been a let down this year.  But Derek Anderson will right the ship.  Yes I believe that.  I expect a blow out win for Carolina and there will even be a QB controversy for next week's game against the Saints.

Steelers-Jets: 3 Keys to Victory

Hello, all. After beating up on the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday, the Steelers are flying high into a Week 5 matchup with the 1-3 New York Jets. Let's look at 3 things the Steelers can do to improve to 4-1.

Key #1: Light up the scoreboard
This should be self explanatory. The Steelers these days are all about offense. That's their bread and butter. While Pittsburgh's defense has been ok, I'm still not to the point where I trust them to perform on a consistent basis. The Steelers score. It's what they do, and with Darrelle Revis likely out of the lineup, the Jets will have a hard time stopping Pittsburgh from having another eruption on Sunday afternoon.

Odds of excution: Boomin

Key #2: Blitz the Fitz
Ryan Fitzpatrick can be either pretty damn good, or bloody awful. Hopefully, we see less of the 2015 Fitzpatrick on Sunday, and more of the man who threw 6 INT's against the Kansas City Chiefs just two weeks ago. The Steelers will want to pressure Fitzpatrick and force some turnovers. A big reason why the KC game turned out the way it did was because the Steeler defense forced two early turnovers that turned into 15 points, and the Black and Gold never looked back from there. Hopefully,  we see a similar story transpire at the expense of the Harvard grad.

Odds of Excution: Solid 

Key #3: Don't let up
My biggest concern for this weeks game isn't the Steelers coming out flat like they did in Philly two weeks back. It isn't even that the Steelers will lose this game. My biggest concern is that the Steelers will not be able to build off there momentum from last Sunday night.

Let me explain. On Opening Night this year, they Steelers pounded the Washington Redskins and were flying high into a Week 2 tilt with the hated Bungles. While the Steelers were able to beat the Bungles, they didn't do it in a way that built on what happened in Week 1. It was a very ugly win.

So, if the Steelers follow a 47-14 trouncing of a pretty good Chiefs team with, say, a 23-20 win over the Jets on a last second Chris Boswell field goal, it would still be a W, but not a convincing one. So, what I want to see from the Steelers on Sunday is a performance that shows me that they can be the best team in the AFC.


Final prediction
The Steelers are better than the Jets. They are at home. The are riding high. They have no reason to lose to New York. I think we will see bad Fitzpatrick today, and that will lead to some good things from the Steelers.

Pittsburgh 35, New York 17

MLB Playoffs Preview/Predictions

Welcome to October. My name is Joe Smeltzer, and here's how I think the 2016 MLB Playoffs are going to go down.

AL

Wildcard Game

Orioles (89-73) at Blue Jays (89-73) 

Photo creds to www.sportingnews.com

Baseball is the hardest sport in which to predict a single game, but with two evenly matched teams, I'm compelled to go with the home side. Rogers Centre is a tough place to play, especially this time of year. Baltimore has struggled with Toronto all season, and Marcus Stroman will make sure that this continues tonight.

Bluejays 3, Orioles 1 

NL 

Wildcard Game

Giants (87-75) at Mets (87-75)

That's a bad man. Photo creds to sports.yahoo.com

Bumgarner vs. Syndergaard. That has the makings to be a classic pitchers duel. Unfourtanly for Mets fans, Madison Bumgarner, is one of the greatest postseason pitchers in history. I know that the Giants are on the road, but I don't think it's wise to bet against Mad Bum when the leaves change colors.

Giants 2, Mets 0

ALDS

Red Sox (AL East Champs) vs. Indians (AL Central Champs)

photo creds to www.upi.com

I can honestly say that 4 of the five teams in the American League playoff picture have a legitimate shot to get to the World Series. This matchup will be a classic battle of great pitching (Cleveland) vs. great hitting (Boston). I think that, ultimately, the losses of Carlos Carrasco and, possibly Danny Salazar, two of Cleveland's star pitchers, will be too much for The Tribe. I hope I am wrong, as I would love to see Cleveland go to the fall classic for the first time in my lifetime. But in a series that's evenly matched like this one is, not having your #2 and #3 starting pitchers (at least not at 100%) is a problem. No disrespect to Corey Kluber and the rest of the Cleveland rotation, but I feel that they will be too shorthanded to handle the loaded Red Sox lineup for the long hull. 

Red Sox in 4 

ALDS

Rangers (AL West Champs) vs. Blue Jays (AL Wildcard)  

Outside of the great state of Maryland, who doesn't want to see a rematch of the most memorable playoff series of 2015? It's hard for me to pick this one because both teams are very similar. In fact, if you look at the matchup, I think Toronto has a slight edge. But something tells me that Texas is going to be hot for this series. I don't believe they've forgotten about Joey Bats and Game 5 of last year's ALDS. Ever since David Freese wrecked their World Series dreams in 2011, not a whole lot has gone right for the Texas Rangers, and I think it's time that Adrian Beltre and the boys have some fun

 Rangers in 5

NLDS
Cubs (NL Central Champs) vs. Giants (NL Wildcard)

Photo creds to www.si.com

Will the Giants even year magic continue? Highly unlikley. To be blunt, San Fran is lucky to be in the playoffs at all, and they are running into a windy city buzzsaw. The Cubs are the best team in baseball, while the Giants kind of backed into the playoffs. I know who I'm taking.

Cubs in 3 

Nationals (NL East Champs) vs. Dodgers (NL West) 

Ahh, the Washington Nationals. A regular season powerhouse with a reputation for choking in the playoffs, a manager who parallels their franchise, and a M*A*S*H unit of injured players. If the Nationals still had Stephen Strasburg, Wilson Ramos, and Daniel Murphy at 100%, I'd still call for a choke here because it's what they do. With a plethora of injuries, and going up against a hot Dodgers team, I don't feel good about Dusty Baker improving his playoff reputation.

Dodgers in 4 (I'm being generous)

ALCS

Rangers vs. Red Sox 

The Boston Red Sox are known for their stable of young and hard hitters but don't look past their pitching rotation. Rick Porcello is a frontrunner for the AL Cy Young Award. Clay Bucholz is inconsistent but could be a huge asset if he is on, and although David Price has had arguably his worst season in the majors, he is still David Price, and that is a scary thought for the AL. The Rangers offense is every bit as dangerous as Boston's, but aside from Cole Hamels, I just don't trust their rotation in crunch time. Because Boston is more balanced, I expect them to win a hard fought series and move on to their 4th fall classic in the past 12 years.

Red Sox in 7

NLCS

Cubs vs. Dodgers

This is tricky. On paper, Chicago is the better team. But part of me believes that the Dodgers are going to do what they did back in 1988 and surprisingly win the World Series. There are some striking similarities. The 1988 Dodgers had the game's best pitcher (Orel Hershiser), as do the 2016 Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw). The 1988 Dodgers had one of the games best hitters (Kirk Gibson), as do the 2016 Dodgers (Corey Segar). The 1988 Dodgers featured scrubs like Jeff Hamilton, John Shelby and Mike Marshall, while the 2016 Dodgers are pretty well-rounded offensively, so that's not a good comparison. 

The 1988 Mets were a lot like the 2016 Cubs. They were young, they were dominant, and looked like they couldn't be stopped. LA faced them in the NLCS, and stunned the Mighty Mets in seven games. So the simalirites are there.

However, I do not see the Dodgers getting past the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs are on the warpath, and while LA might make it interesting, the Cubs are too talented and well rounded for LA to handle.

Cubs in 6

World Seires 

Cubs vs. Red Sox

For most of this season, I thought that it would be in baseball's best interest to have a Cubs-Indians fall classic (1908 vs. 1948). But the more I think about it, the more I would love to see Cubs-Red Sox. The Cubs would be a big-time draw in the World Series regardless of who they played because of the whole ''100 years of misery'' thing. But Boston is arguably the most rabid baseball town in history, with one of the most historic franchises in history, and both the Cubs and Red Sox have the two oldest ballparks in history. It's perfect. A dream for the business of Major League Baseball. And I think there's a good chance it happens.

Also, this would be one hell of a series to watch. Both clubs are equally outstanding offensively, but the think that will make the Cubs world champions is their pitching staff. I mentioned earlier that the Red Sox pitching has the potential to make some noise, and they do. But does Boston's rotation have the power to match up with John Lester, Hake Arietta and Kyle Hendricks? I don't think so. 

As Pirates fans, we want to believe that Chicago will crash and burn. But I don't think that's going happen. Chicago is due. The are poised. They are confident. They are the best team in baseball. 

So, your 2016 World series champons willl be:

The Chicago Cubs in 6 games

Steelers Reaction: Well, that esclated quickly

Photo creds to ftw.usatoday.com

That really got out of hand fast. Yes, the famous Will Farrel line from the 2004 classic, ''Anchorman'', certainly applies to what transpired at Heinz Field on Sunday Night. To put it kindly, the Steelers kicked the living hell out of Andy Reid's Kansas City Chiefs. I'm here to talk about what went right, and what went wrong (if anything).
What went right 
Offense
The Steelers put up 43 points. Ben Roethlisberger threw five touchdown passes to 4 different receivers. Le'Veon Bell averaged 8 yards per carry in his first regular season game since last November. The Steelers set a franchise record with 22 points in the first quarter. B.J. Finney was great filling in for Ramon Foster at left guard. But other then that, the offense stunk.

What went wrong 
The offense line struggled early, with Alejandaro Villanueva missing some blocks and David DeCastro having a few problems of his own, and the Steelers let a promising opening drive stall without any points. Uh, can you guys think of anything else?

Now, on to the defense.

Defense
What went right

With 16 total tackles, I'd say Vince Williams was more than adequete on Sunday Night. 

Well, aside from not allowing any points until the 4th quarter, forcing two key early turnovers, getting solid performances from a mix of established stars (Cam Heyward, Lawrence Timmons) and ''next men up'' (Vince Williams, Jordan Dangerfield), nothing good happened at all for the Steelers defense.

What went wrong
The Steelers failed to get that shutout. Uh, can you guys think of anything else?

Overall
Yes, the Steelers were impressive on Sunday Night. Yes, fans should be optimistic. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Over the past few years, the Steelers have been an enigma. They can threaten to run away with the AFC one week, and come out completely flat the next (Philly last week). That's just something for Steeler Nation to keep in mind before next week's contest with the New York Jets.

Overall, Pittsburgh played a near perfect game on Sunday. There isn't anything left for me to say about that. All we can do as fans is be happy about the win and hope it continues through the rest of 2016.

Steelers-Chiefs: 3 Keys to Victory

Hello, all. Tonight, I will be at Heinz Field for a Sunday Night Showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and my Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers badly would like to win this one, and here are three things they can do to ensure that they do so.

Key #1: Ring the Bell

Guess who's back? Back again? Bell is back. Tell a friend.

Yes, after serving a three game suspension to start the season due to a missed drug test, Le'Veon Bell rejoins the Steelers. There is no way to overstate how important it is that #26 is back in the Steeler lineup. Bell is one of the most valuable players in all of football when he is healthy and ready to go, and I expect him to be both of those things tonight. Bell hasn't played a game in nearly a year, but that won't get in the way of a fantastic performance tonight. Mike Tomlin wants to use Bell often, and Bell will not disappoint.
Odds of excution: High

Key #2: Next man up

Ryan Shazier is one of 7 Steelers that has offically been ruled out for Sunday Night

That's one of Coach Tomlin's catchphrases, and it holds true for tonight's game. 7 Steelers have been officially ruled out, including Ryan Shazier, Ramon Foster, Eli Rogers and Robert Golden. B.J. Finney will be replacing Foster at offensive guard, while rookie Jordan Dangerfield will be starting in place of Golden at Strong Saftey. To make up for the loss of Rogers, Sammy Coates will need to step up, and that will be no easy task. It is said that Coates matches up with KC's standout cornerback, Marcus Peters. Assuming this is true, Sammy will have his hands full, and it will be interesting to see how he can respond. The Steelers are dealing with injuries, but if you follow this team, you know that is nothing new, and that Pittsburgh can answer in the face of adversity.

Odds of excution: Solid

Key #3: Do everything differntly from the Philly game
34-3. That's the scoreline from the Steelers game last week in Philadelphia. And it was even worse than the score would indicate. So, the Steelers need to forget about Philly and remember that they are still a good football team that is playing at home, in primetime, and in front of 70,000 screaming fans that will welcome back one of the game's best players with open arms. The Steelers will be pumped up, and you can take that to the bank.

Odds of excution: Great


Final Prediction
It seems that whenever the Steelers lay an egg, they get right back up and bounce back the next week. Tonight will be no different. The Steelers will be determined to make sure that everybody understands that the Eagles loss was a fluke, and I expect them to win by a comfortable margin. If the Steelers lose tonight, than we have some problems.

Steelers 34, Chiefs 17.