Steelers new QB

[Scorpion]

Looks like a winner!
Wears #10 just like Kordella.
Atlanta over Pitt Week #1

[k13]

They could have me as a QB and I would still not bet on the Falcons in this game.

[Scorpion]

I would, Atlantas HC will have his team ready for this game and Mike Smoth is a very good coach, has a done a great job at Atlanta
Worked in the Steelers org and would love to come home and beat the Steelers, I think he is from Pitt too.

Tomlin did a very shitty job lst yr, lost 4 times as double digit favorite.
This year the dumbass is off to bad start already, why announce to the public whose starting on Monday. Don't say anything and make the Falcons prepare for both Batch and Dixon. Bad move Tomlin.

[midoriwilleatyou]

atlanta will definitely dominate this game..i completely agree with scorpion

[raiders32]

I'm liking Atlanta too.

[TheJer]

Dixon will do fine I think, Looking forward to the season!!

[Shafted69]

Ride da steelers baby !!!!!!!!! 4-0 to start the season.



















-

[Ejon1]

Steelers will have a tough time for those first few games.

[iceminers26]

Dixon isn't that bad, think they can come out of this 3-1 but 2-2 would be okay

[Bogart45]

Well at least everyone here can agree...that the outcome of this game is totally unpredictable. Way too may question marks to play this game either way.

[Brocc]

Steelers don't get dominated at home

Steelers 24
Falcons 17

[Scorpion]

Bad OL, a rookie center snapping the ball to Kordella!

[pavyracer]

Falcons will win this game. Too many weapons and Steelers playing without a QB.

[mcbogo]

last year without a defense(no polamalu, no a. smith) with dixon steelers almost beat the ravens. this year with defense, with motivation in the season opener the steelers to lose with atalanta? r u guys insane?

[Dad]

Ride da steelers baby !!!!!!!!! 4-0 to start the season.



-

Could Big Ben losing his starting job if this were to happen?

[pavyracer]

last year without a defense(no polamalu, no a. smith) with dixon steelers almost beat the ravens. this year with defense, with motivation in the season opener the steelers to lose with atalanta? r u guys insane?

Have you ever seen Atlanta play? Good luck stopping them or putting points into that defense.

[Brock Landers]

this COULD be the play of the week

1)black QB
2)atlanta less than a FG fave
3)Atlanta has good D, so does Pitt.
4)Atlanta has White QB

All adds up to an ATLANTA VICTORY

[Joe_Shabadoo]

Specious reasoning to say the least, sprinkled with a wee-bit of racism to boot by someone else.

Do any of you over-the-top, excited-as-fvck Falcon backers have any rationale for this match-up other than it being Matt Ryan -2.5 @ Dennis Dixon?

Probably not; exclamation points & emoticons galore....

[k13]

Falcons on the road on grass.
Pubilc not on the Steelers.

Keep driving the line up.

[Brocc]

Have you ever seen Atlanta play? Good luck stopping them or putting points into that defense.

All of a sudden the Falcons are world beaters & a steel curtain defense? Nice joke!

Ryan looked like shit in the preseason, so I guess he continued his ways from the 2nd half of last season.

What weapons? Roddy White=Polomalu's Bitch...Old Anthony Gonzalaz? Turner gets shut down by Pitt's D easily at home.

With all this Falcon love, dare I say Steeler

[Scorpion]

Falcons-Steelers: 10 observations



By Matt Williamson
Scouts Inc.
Atlanta at PittsburghWhen: 1:00 PM ET
Watch: FOX</STRONG>
</STRONG><A href="http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/scouting">More scouting reports: Week 1Scouts Inc. Position AdvantageQBRBWROLDLLBDBSTCoach





After breaking down film of both teams, Scouts Inc. offers 10 things to watch in this week's Falcons-Steelers matchup.


1. Account for No. 43: The Steelers' defense is far more effective with the injury-prone Troy Polamalu in the lineup. Well, he is healthy and ready for the opener. Polamalu can line up just about anywhere on the field and is very difficult to account for in the pre-snap phase and once the ball is finally snapped. He provides both a mental and physical strain on the opposition.
2. Prepare for Dennis Dixon: Byron Leftwich (knee) and Ben Roethlisberger (suspension) are out for this game. That leaves Dixon as the starting quarterback, but what does that mean for Atlanta? The Falcons will probably be less likely to play man coverage, as Dixon's running ability is frightening. But they also will vary their coverages quite a bit, as Dixon's ability to decipher defenses is still suspect. Also, it is imperative that Atlanta's defensive ends do not attack the run with too much vigor, as Dixon presents a serious threat on bootleg plays around the corner.
3. Get to the quarterback: Pittsburgh has struggled in pass protection over the past several seasons and this preseason was no different. The pass rush was a problem for Atlanta in 2009, but the combination of John Abraham and Kroy Biermann should give the Steelers' offensive tackles all they can handle. It should be noted that the Falcons will be playing without disruptive upfield penetrator Jonathan Babineaux (suspension). Dixon is a tough guy to get your hands on.
4. Stay balanced: Atlanta's offense is designed to punish the defense with a power run game behind a nasty offensive line and then complement that rushing attack with precise passing at all levels. The Falcons have the personnel to pull that off, but they face an exceptional defense on the road in this opening contest. Pittsburgh traditionally does everything possible to eliminate the run threat. Atlanta can't allow that to happen.
5. Matchup to watch: Falcons offensive line vs. Steelers defensive front five: This will be an excellent battle that is sure to determine the winner of this game. The Falcons have few household names on their line, but it is a strong unit that plays with a very physical edge. The Steelers' defensive line and outside linebackers are about as good as they get. All five play the run well and the outside 'backers are terrors off the edge in the pass game. This is a heavyweight fight.
6. Stay out of third and long: Without Roethlisberger, this offense can't consistently pull a rabbit out of its hat. It must stay on schedule in terms of down and distance. That will mean precise execution and a nice balance of run and pass on first and second downs.
7. Hit Matt Ryan: For his age, Ryan is very impressive. He has an excellent head on his shoulders and displays great poise. But he isn't the most physically imposing signal-caller and the Steelers' defense has been known to put a beating on opposing quarterbacks.
8. Win the turnover battle: This could be a bullet point for every NFL game, but considering the Steelers' quarterback situation, it is doubly true in this Week 1 contest. Dixon needs to realize that throwing the ball away is often the best decision and forcing the action doesn't do his team any favors. For Pittsburgh to win, the Steelers have to rely on the defense and stay the course on offense -- and win the turnover battle.
9. Establish the run: The Falcons' defense is not considered one of the more physical units in the NFL. But with Roethlisberger out of the lineup, Pittsburgh must rely more on the run than it did a year ago. Rashard Mendenhall is an excellent talent and the Falcons surely will walk a safety up toward the line of scrimmage to help slow him down.
10. Matchup to watch: Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall vs. Falcons MLB Curtis Lofton: Behind impressive rookie C Maurkice Pouncey, the Steelers will try to assert their will on Atlanta with a dedication to their interior run game. It will fall primarily on Lofton's shoulders to make sure that doesn't happen. Also, Mendenhall is a vastly underrated receiver out of the backfield and these two are sure to tangle in that phase of the game as well.


PredictionAtlanta 20
Pittsburgh 21

[pavyracer]

I would take the team with the QB with 20 wins in 30 starts than the QB with 1 win in 1 start but this is just me.

[jjgold]

Pitt has no shot at all

[B1GER1C828]

I would take the team with the QB with 20 wins in 30 starts than the QB with 1 win in 1 start but this is just me.

agreed. unless dixon just comes out and plays great, i dont see how pitt can win this one.

[D3 Mighty Ducks]

No to bias being an Atlanta fan but they have something to prove this year. A lot of people still thinking the Steelers will own their division (except last year) but their are new and improved teams they must compete with all year. I truly believe the Steelers will be a middle of the pack team in the AFC and miss out on the playoffs. They have no new additions from last year and with the return of the Polomalu is great for them other then that they should find themselves mid-pack. Just my opinion and oh yeah Atlanta wins week 1.

[DwightShrute]

Pittsburgh at home are tough. Steelers win this one in OT 16-13

[Scorpion]

i would take the team with the qb with 20 wins in 30 starts than the qb with 1 win in 1 start but this is just me.

dennis dixon aka kodella v2.0 is 0-1 in the nfl as a starter sir
he ****** lat year in the 4th q vs the ravens, his dumb int cost pit the game!

[Joe_Shabadoo]

A couple of things to be expected with a post like this:

• Platitudes about "new" players; i.e.: Dennis Dixon.
• "Dennis Dixon can't beat Matt Ryan. Are you fvcks crazy?"
• Dennis Dixon is garbage.
• Dennis Dixon.
• No talk of Jonathan Babineaux's glaring absence.
• The understated impact of Aaron Smith's return, let alone Troy's.
• Maurkice Pouncey's ability to get to Curtis Lofton.
• Dunta Robinson's stiffness.
• Justin Blalock's inability to cut off backside pursuit.
• Antonio Brown returning kicks.
• Mispelling Troy Polomalaaalamulaouo
• Rinse. Repeat.

[pavyracer]

Last time the Falcons played the Steelers in Pittsburgh game ended in a tie meaning the Falcons didn't lose. If you think a winless QB in his second start will beat a team who had a better record than his own team last year you should quit gambling and invest in money market accounts.

[Joe_Shabadoo]

Last time the Falcons played the Steelers in Pittsburgh game ended in a tie meaning the Falcons didn't lose. If you think a winless QB in his second start will beat a team who had a better record than his own team last year you should quit gambling and invest in money market accounts.

So, let me get this straight, outside of actually speaking of the game and its relevancy in 2010 (other than, again, "Blue Team had a better 2009 record than Red Team, therefore they'll cover"), you're using a game in which Plaxico Burress & Michael Vick were the standout players as a basis for making a Scenario A: Scenario B-type of comparison?

Asinine.

Wow, dude, I actually think you're joking here.

[Dark Horse]

I was going to say something in favor of PIT, but then I realized I'm already on ATL -1. lol

Not even QB related. I would have taken ATL ATS if Roethlisberger was playing. It just would have been a different spread.

[Joe_Shabadoo]

I would take the team with the QB with 20 wins in 30 starts than the QB with 1 win in 1 start but this is just me.

That's fine & all for a jumping off point if you don't really know much about these teams and how they specifically match-up, but I already know that you've got Ryan -2.5 @ Dixon, though, so, good luck.

[Dark Horse]

1H Under. Steelers D will come out inspired, and Dixon will throw low risk passes.

[MB]

Should of been my cousin starting!! But that Falcons game looks good though. Too good. I'ma pass on that. Pitt will probably surprise a lot of folks week one

[jjgold]

Black QB's struggle as a whole in NFL

Lets see if he proves us wrong