Fantasy Take

Pittsburgh-Cleveland thoughts. I watched the game last night between Pittsburgh and Cleveland and thought I'd offer some observations:

1. The Steelers aren't who we thought they were, and they weren't let off the hook! Pittsburgh's tackling, a fundamental skill, is completely terrible. This allowed Josh Cribbs to have a good game as well as Chris Jennings, who got the hot hand in the game and supplanted Jerome Harrison as the running back. The Steelers' tackling mistakes were glaring and disturbing. It also extends to special teams. But additionally, the Steelers' offensive line was terrible. Chris Kemoeatu was back but not as effective, and the right side of the Steelers' line was also ugly. Part of the reason for the eight sacks allowed was because Big Ben held on to the ball for too long, but the other part was the poor pass blocking. Not good.

2. The wind was a non-factor. Three field goals made, one extra-point made. Relatively stable punting averages (in spite of a shank by the Steelers). I didn't see the wind as a huge factor in the game. Unless you consider the wind to give the Browns' defenders a burst in getting to Ben Roethlisberger, of course.

3. Brady Quinn was not good. A lot of his passes were either off target or leading receivers into defenders. He has to take better care of his passes.

4. Anyone who doesn't see the upside in Josh Cribbs' ability has to watch this game. Explosive, nimble and even a little more physical than your typical X-factor, Cribbs warrants more playing time. The Browns have to give it to him now to determine whether or not they keep him long-term.