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Other things to look for as the Steelers try to survive without Roethlisberger — likely to miss a third straight game with a sprained left knee — while the Cardinals look for another impressive road win after crushing Detroit last Sunday.
VICK FLICK?: Michael Vick showcased why the Steelers took a flier on him when they brought him in late in the preseason to backup Roethlisberger. Vick hit Markus Wheaton for a 72-yard touchdown and added a key 24-yard scramble in the fourth quarter last Monday against San Diego to set up Le'Veon Bell's last-second lunge to win it. Vick is growing more comfortable in Haley's system. "I am still a ways away," Vick said. "But the confidence is still there."
Pretty sweet for a "retired" guy.
WELL-RESTED: While the Steelers had to play on the West Coast on Monday night and fly back across the country to get ready for one of the league's hottest teams,Cheap Jerseys From China, the Cardinals hung out at the lush Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia after crushing Detroit.
It's their head coach's first regular-season game in Pittsburgh since the Steelers sent their former offensive coordinator into a "retirement" nearly four years ago that lasted barely a week.
"I've been in that visitors' locker room a number of times,Nike NFL Jerseys China," Arians said. "It won't be totally new to me."
There are few secrets between two teams that only play each other once every presidential cycle. Arians and Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger remain close. Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald praised Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator for always being able to "get the best out of me" when Todd Haley was calling the plays during the team's breakthrough postseason run in 2008, a run that ended with a loss to Arians and the Steelers in the Super Bowl.
DWIGHT'S RIGHT: The Cardinals signed linebacker Dwight Freeney on Tuesday to bolster a group racked by injuries. Freeney's 111 1-2 career sacks are the fifth most among active players. Vick has been susceptible to sacks, taking seven in the last two games.
It's lofty territory for the franchise if not necessarily some of the principals involved.
The Arizona offense that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin sees on tape looks a lot like the one Arians guided during his eight years calling the plays in Pittsburgh. When Arians looks at film of the Steelers' reinvigorated defense, Tomlin's fingerprint smudges are unmistakable.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Bruce Arians insists this isn't about payback,Cheap Authentic Jerseys, that he has nothing to prove on Sunday when the Arizona Cardinals play at Heinz Field.
KEY MATCHUP: Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown vs. Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson. Brown's numbers have dipped with Vick under center. He has just 86 yards receiving the last two games and now faces one of the best shutdown cornerbacks in the league.
FITZ BEING FITZ: Sure, Fitzgerald's league-leading six touchdown receptions are nice. What has endeared him to Arians, however, is his affinity for blocking. Arians credited the example Fitzgerald is setting in the run game as one of the big reasons the Cardinals are averaging an NFL-best 4.96 yards per carry.
Hey, they don't call the Cardinals "Pittsburgh West" for nothing. Or maybe the Steelers are "Arizona East."
Maybe, but the Cardinals (4-1) playing the role of heavyweight in a division that was supposed to be one of the toughest in the league? That is new territory. Arizona isn't just winning games, it is dominating them. The Cardinals have outscored opponents by 100 points through five weeks, the highest differential over that span since the Patriots during their unbeaten regular season in 2007.
The Cardinals' roster and staff is littered with former Steelers who have a Super Bowl ring stashed away somewhere,Cheap Jerseys, from Arians to assistant head coach Tom Moore to inside linebackers coach Larry Foote to outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley.
"When your superstar blocks, then the rest of the room better block,Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys," Arians said "Our running game right now is pretty good, because our receivers are blocking so well."
Considering the connections between two franchises 2,000 miles apart in geography but near mirror images of each other in terms of philosophy, you're probably good either way.
Arizona certainly seems headed back in that direction. The last six teams with a point differential in triple digits through five weeks all played in the final game of the season, with four of them holding the Lombardi Trophy. Arians knows a thing or two about what a Super Bowl team looks like. Provided quarterback Carson Palmer stays healthy, Arians likes the odds.
"Like Pittsburgh knows, when Ben Roethlisberger is in there you have a chance to beat anybody any week," Arians said. "When we have Carson,Jerseys NFL China, we feel the same way." |
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