Pittsburgh Steelers Team Report by Tom Merrick
| Pit Projections (9/3) | Passing Stats | Rush Stats | Receiving Stats | Fantasy | |||||||||||
| Change | Name | Pos | Att | Comp | % | Yds | TD | Int | Att | Yds | TD | Rec | Yds | TD | Pts |
  |
#fname# #lname# | #pos# | #NumberFormat("#pts#", '__,_____')# | ||||||||||||
| Totals | #NumberFormat("#tot_patt#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_pcmp#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#evaluate(100*tot_pcmp/tot_patt)#", '_____._')#% | #NumberFormat("#tot_pyds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_ptds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_int#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_ratt#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_ryds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_rtds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_rec#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_cyds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_ctds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_pts#", '__,_____')# | ||
|
Quarterbacks Starter - Kordell Stewart Backups - Charlie Batch, Tommy Maddox Starting Quarterback: Kordell Stewart is coming off of a productive season in 2001. He seemed very comfortable in coordinator Mike Mularkey's new offense and made the Pro Bowl. Even as a Pro Bowler, do not expect a return to the combined 30+ TD season of 1997, but do expect a slight improvement on his numbers from last year. Keep in mind that Kordell played best during the second half of the season when they started to open things up a bit. Throwing to a pair of 1000 yard receivers in Burress and Ward, expect 3000 yards and 20 TDs passing with 300 yards rushing and 5 TDs. Backup Quarterback(s): Charlie Batch would only see playing time if Stewart were to get hurt. He was picked up as a free agent from Detroit and should not have a problem with this offense. Tommy Maddox is a serviceable backup capable of hitting spots when asked. Do not expect much fantasy production out of these guys. Running Backs Starter - Jerome Bettis Backups - Amos Zereoue, Chris Fuamata-Ma'afala, RJ Bowers Starting Running Back: Jerome Bettis is a 30 year old who has taken his share of punishment over the years. The chances of him playing all 16 games this year are slim. When healthy, Bettis can lead the league in rushing as evidenced by last year's performance up until week 12. Can he stay healthy while absorbing so many hits? Look for him to miss a few games again this year and post 1100 yards and 10 TDs rushing. Backup Running Back(s): Waiting in the wings if Bettis goes down, is Famous Amos Zereoue. Zereoue is on the small side, but is built low to the ground and is very hard to knock off of his feet. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry last year mostly in spot duty. He is the clear #2 tailback on this team and expect him to get more carries this year gaining around 350 yards rushing and 4 TDs (he will get Bettis' numbers if Bettis is hurt). If you take Betts this year, make sure you get Zereoue as well. When Bettis went down last year, Chris Fuamata-Ma'afala (say that 10 times really fast), came in and did a decent job. He's a plodding type of runner and who has been past by Zereoue on the depth chart. Fullback(s): Dan Krieder, Verron Haynes: The Steelers use their fullbacks for blocking. Expect no fantasy value from these guys. Wide Receivers / Tight Ends Starters - Plaxico Burress, Hines Ward Backups - Troy Edwards, Terrance Mathis, Antwaan Randle El Starting Receiver(s): Plaxico Burress and Hines Ward became the first pair of Steelers receivers to pass 1,000 yards receiving last year. If the Steelers continue to utilize the pass more, Burress and Ward could have productive seasons. Burress has more potential than Ward and could wind up with 1200 yards and 9 TDs this year. Ward's stats will probably drop off a little with the emergence of Burress. Expect him to be in the range of 60-65 catches, 800 yards receiving with 5 TDs. Backup Receiver(s): Troy Edwards has not shown the team what it expected of their first round draft pick of 1999. This preseason, he has shown flashes of being a good receiver and has thus far played better than the man brought in to be the 3rd receiver in Terrance Mathis. Edwards needs to perform when the games count. Mathis should provide this unit depth and veteran leadership. The team is intrigued by Antwaan Randle El. A quarterback in college, they are hoping he can develop into a solid slot receiver. In addition, he gives the offense a third slash dimension (with Kordell and Ward) and could see time in the backfield for some trickery. Not much from a fantasy perspective can be expected. Tight End(s): Mark Bruener, Jerame Tuman, John Allred The Steelers TE's are paid to block. Over the last 3 years, they have caught the least amount of passes of any group of TE's in the league. Mark Bruener really helps the running game with his blocking and is coming off an injured shoulder from last year. John Allred is an interesting pickup having missed all of last season recovering from knee surgery in 2000. Avoid these guys. Place Kicker Todd Peterson: Gone is Kris Brown and his 14 FG misses from last year. In comes Todd Peterson who does not possess as strong a leg as Brown but may be more accurate. Steelers kickers have finished with over 100 points for the past 11 years. If Peterson can overcome the cold winds of Pittsburgh coming off the river, expect Peterson to top that mark as well this year. Defense This unit was the #1 ranked defense in the league last year. Most of the team will be back again next year with James Farrior (the Jets leading tackler) replacing Earl Holmes. Led by Joey Porter, Jason Gildon and superstar in the making Kendrell Bell (this year's Brian Urlacher), expect this team to finish as the top overall unit once again. Coaching Bill Cowher has assembled a team in his image - tough, gritty and full of fire. If he can get his team playing at a high level yet again (he's made the playoffs 7 out of 10 seasons), they are capable of another 13 wins. Intangibles Mr. Rooney has done a great job of keeping this team intact. The team chemistry from last year should only improve. Couple this with a weak schedule and Steelers could very well be playing in the AFC Championship game again this year. It remains to be seem whether they have done enough to help the special teams problems that plagued them in last year's final game. |