Dawg Pound Preview - Browns at Steelers

Cleveland Browns Tickets

Thursday, December 7. 2006

Dawg Pound Preview - Browns at Steelers

The Browns are headed to Pittsburgh for an AFC North rival rematch against the Steelers hoping to finish the job they had started less than 3 weeks ago.

Cleveland led the last game well into the second half, but were unable to keep Ben Roethlisberger and Pittsburgh's no-huddle offense down.

The rivalry that exists between the Browns and Steelers is a fierce one that has seemed to be a little lopsided since Cleveland's return to the NFL in '99, with the Steelers winning 12 of their last 13 games against the boys in Brown.

Offensive Keys to Victory:
#1. Block! It's amazing how one little word can mean so much, but with their apparent awakening last week, the Browns' offense finally seemed to snap back into conciousness. Protection of Anderson in his first NFL start will be crucial.

#2. Get Winslow the ball. Kellen Winslow has been playing a bit of a decoy role lately, with 2 touchdown passes being thrown to the seemingly forgotten Steve Heiden. With the Steelers' safeties both out, the receivers and tight ends could have a very big game

Defensive Keys to Victory:
#1. Stop the no-huddle. The Browns have had no answer so far against the no-huddle offense, and it has cost them dearly. They know it will come, and they've worked on it in practice; the key, however, is whether or not they make the big plays necessary to stop it

#2. Contain Parker. Despite the lack of production from the Steelers' offensive line and subsequently Willie Parker, the Pittsburgh running game is a perennial (and per-week-lial) threat. If they cannot stop the run, they won't stop the Steelers

Quarterback:
	Derek Anderson is a big body and a big arm that the Browns have not had before, and Big Ben just isn't as good as everyone originally thought.
Running Backs:
	Parker's got jet, and Davenport's a bruiser. The Browns do not have a real rushing identity, and need to step up their run
Wide Receivers:
	Jurevicius came up big last week and was instrumental in the Browns offensive awakening. Add Edwards, and you have a helluva tandem
Tight End:
	Winslow was quiet last week, but I wouldn't count on it happening two weeks in a row. Steve Heiden again proved his worth in his lessened role
Offensive Line:
	The Steelers are not producing like normal, but they're still a force to be reckoned with
Defensive Line:
	Both teams have decent but not great D Lines. Control of the line of scrimmage will be crucial in this game
Linebackers:
	Joey Porter can talk all the pre-game trash he wants this week. He's the only one back there who has earned the right
Secondary:
	With both safeties out, the Steelers have a huge hole in their secondary. Whether Derek Anderson can take advantage will have a big impact on the game's result
Special Teams:
	Every week, they let the league know that they're the best on the field

Technorati Tags: Cleveland Browns, NFL, football, Pittsburgh Steelers, Derek Anderson, Ben Roethlisberger, Big Ben, Willie Parker, Joey Porter, Troy Polamalu, Braylon Edwards, Joe Jurevicius, Kellen Winslow, Steve Heiden, AFC North, Browns vs Steelers

Posted by Ryan Hoover in Game Preps at 19:04 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

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