2013 prediction thread.

[zulater]

I've got no strong feeling about this team, nothing would surprise me, good or bad. Put a gun to my head today and I'm predicting another 8-8 season. Tell me I'm wrong. Because I really want to be wrong on the short side of course.

It's all about Ben and the offensive line in my opinion. Can they protect him well enough for him to do his job and stay healthy for the majority of the season?

Not having Heath with an unproven and potentially unstable line could be devastating to this team's playoff chances. Give me 14+ plus games with a healthy Heath Miller and maybe I'm going 10-6. Give me >11 games with Heath and a very diminished Heath at that and we may be looking at 7-9 or 6-10.

I like the defense, and if they can do a better job taking the ball away this year that could level things out a bit.

So again I'm right back at 8-8.

[Moose]

From what I've seen so far I did the 8-8/9-7 backing in the last wild card spot. I'm not impressed with the defense at all and the special team stills sucks. I'm hoping it's just preseason crap with no one really showing their stuff ( although the rookies should in order to make the team ). Hope I'm wrong, but I guess we'll see soon.

[polamalubeast]

Not have Heath Miller could be a huge problem for the Steelers, especially in the red zone...I'm not worried about the defense, but I would like the defense creates turnovers....The turnovers differential will determine whether the season will be good or bad


Also, do not lose against bad team.....If the Steelers win the games that are supposed to win, everything is possible

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For the pool, 4 of the last 6 Super Bowl champions have had a record of 9-7 or 10-6

[zulater]

Not have Heath Miller could be a huge problem for the Steelers, especially in the red zone...I'm not worried about the defense, but I would like the defense creates turnovers....The turnovers differential will determine whether the season will be good or bad


Also, do not lose against bad team.....If the Steelers win the games that are supposed to win, everything is possible

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For the pool, 4 of the last 6 Super Bowl champions have had a record of 9-7 or 10-6

Good point. I suppose it's possible that the Steelers could get better as the season goes on and be a legitimate Super Bowl contender when it counts.

[steelreserve]

I think we'll surprise people a little ... if we just have normal luck with injuries and turnovers this year instead of abysmal like last season, that'll more than make up for the players we lost in FA. Ravens got worse and I still don't think the Bengals are for real, so who else is going to win the division? I don't think this team has the look of a Super Bowl contender unless we're really lucky, though.

Big questions are how healthy we can stay and whether the offense is actually better than it's showing right now. Because so far the injury situation isn't exactly off to a roaring start, and if this is the offense we have for the entire season, forget it.

[zulater]

Anyone care to own the 4-12 or worse prediction? Don't worry, not going to criticize you, just wondering who it was and what the rationale was?

[Count Steeler]

I expect to have a strong second half of the season. Things will start to gel. Maybe 4-4 at mid season and 6-2 the rest of the way into the playoffs. If that happens, they win at least 1 playoff game and if we are healthy or healthy enough, maybe make some more noise in post season.

[GoSlash27]

Where's the option for "Tom Brady's gay"? That's my prediction.

[steel9guy]

I voted 8-8 or 9-7 with the last playoff spot. The only reason I see this team doing anything is #7. Everything pends on his health.

[zulater]

Still no one has the Steelers as a serious contender.

[Seven]

Still no one has the Steelers as a serious contender.

Till now. I thought about this for a while. Looked at the rest of the conference, thought about our roster, depth, weaknesses, etc... I think we take the division. Top tier quarterback, solid playmakers at receiver particularly if Wheaton plays the way I think he will, a few talented tailbacks; hopefully one steps up. Interior of the offensive line will be fine, tackles are iffy but that's nothing new. Believe it or not Gradkowski is probably worth two wins in my opinion. Ben is going to get banged up for a start or two at some point and I have good faith in Bruce - hell, I'd probably pick this team to make wild card if he were the fulltime starter. Defense is a bit of an enigma to me. Not worried about the secondary, the line will be fine, too. It all depends on the pass rush. LaMarr is in very good shape right now so I have every reason to believe he'll have a strong year. We need a guy to step up with him though. Jones has looked good, Worilds has unrealized talent and I think Baxter beats out Carter for good reason. Comparing this evaluation of the team with the rest of the AFC, I feel pretty strongly that we're going to have a good season. The Bengals scare me within the division but if we even split with them I think we win the North. If it wasn't for my OT concerns I'd probably say AFCCG or better. But considering my lack of faith in our lot at that position, plus the uncertainty of the pass rush, I'm voting win AFCN but come up short of the Lombardi. I like this team, but it has the look of maybe being a year away to me. I think this squad could potentially be the belle of the ball heading into the regular season next year.

[Dwinsgames]

nobody else chose it so I went for the gold .... why not part of being a fan is being optimistic ( you have to throw out common sense sometimes ) every season its Super Bowl or bust !!

I am probably wrong and will be the first to admit it we have 0- Line woes I am not sure is fixable with the current amount of talent ( or lack there of ) on the roster but at the same time I do not believe for a second we have seen much of anything we plan to do ( or at least try to do ) once the regular season starts .... at which point I believe we see a different team ... ( or I at least hope we do )

[polamalubeast]

Still no one has the Steelers as a serious contender.

This is not impossible

In 2010, the Steelers were 19th in the power rankings in ESPN before the season and the Steelers have been to the super bowl

In 2004, the Steelers were 26th in the power rankings before the season and they finished 15-1!

[Dino 6 Rings]

14 - 2 with 2 Playoff wins and a SUPER BOWL Victory.

[TomlinSteelTribe]

Not that it's impossible, but I never count on a 9-7 team making the playoffs. All the math comes into play at that point and it feels like our AFC record the last few seasons hasn't been so hot (not the first tiebreaker, I know). Plus, should it come down to all the hypotheticals, and a team with their top-seed guaranteed is playing a team competing for a WC, it's not hard to fathom a fold to keep Pittsburgh out. Happened a few years back at the beginning of the Sanchize Era.

We need 10 wins and I think this team is capable. Like it was said above by Zulater: how will the OL protect Ben? Can Ben do himself a favor and read the field faster (doubt it)? His pre-snap reads are solid, though. I expect our running game will be good, which means we should (fingers crossed the OL isn't a penalty machine) see 3rd and short consistently. If that's the case, we're golden.

The defense will generate more turnovers this season. I'd feel good making that bet.

So hard to predict what could potentially happen in the playoffs... If our first game is not in Denver, I like us getting at least 1 postseason win. But yeah, I think Cincy takes the division. We have the better qb, so I don't consider them a lock by any means. Baltimore will be competitive and has as good of a shot as anyone else, but I just can't buy it that they won't face any repercussions from the losses of Killa' Ray and Ed Reed. Even if the replacements are more physically gifted at this point, I think they lose a certain level of consistency without Lewis's leadership week-in and week-out.

[Steeltreal]

Defense is key, we might have the most underrated pair of CBs in Cortez and Ike (If only he had hands). The run D might take a step back with the DEs pressuring more but as we know its a pass first league. Timmons and Woodley are primed, Ziggys playing for a contract. Troy is Troy

On offense if Ben stretches the field with his speedy WRS , TDs might not be guaranteed but I can see this team winning low scoring games.

[60_MINUTES]

I think it's no different than most years. We have the players to compete for a Super Bowl. Anytime u have a Big Ben. And a Troy p u have a shot. However like most years if we have injuries we will fail. If we can stay some what mild on the injury front then we will get better every week and have a shot. Bottom line u have the number one D in football with a 2 time Super Bowl champ QB in his prime. Question is simple do we stay healthy ?

[tube517]

Just let someone else be the "favorite". Steelers play better when no one gives them a shot

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 4

[60_MINUTES]

Right tube. We never win when everyone tells us how great we are. Let me throw this out there to. Last year just before Ben got hurt. We were playing just about as good as anyone. So lets not rule a healthy team out this year

[TomlinSteelTribe]

I hate to be a pessimist here, but I'm not 100% sure BR7 is in his prime. With the keys to his style of play, he might be on the downslope already. Still expect/hope for a good year from him, but when you look at his cap numbers (the price of having a qb with any kind of talent, i know), it's hard to believe you're getting a great deal, or even your money's worth.

[zulater]

Anyone care to own the 4-12 or worse prediction? Don't worry, not going to criticize you, just wondering who it was and what the rationale was?

So who was the genius?

[Moose]

Dick LeBeau.

[86WARD]

NCSteeler and PolamaluBeast.