Steelers secondary depth to be tested in Week 8

By Neal Coolong  |   Tuesday, October 21, 2008  |  Comments( 3 )

Pittsburgh Steelers
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The banged-up Pittsburgh Steelers will have their depth tested again in Week 8.

Cornerback Bryant McFadden, who has been playing very well in the team's 5-1 start, broke his forearm in Pittsburgh's Week 7 win at Cincinnati; as a result, he will miss at least five games. He had surgery Monday.

Making matters worse, strong safety Troy Polamalu, the only Steeler defensive back having a better season than McFadden, is reported to have suffered a concussion on the same play McFadden broke his arm, and his status is uncertain. It is his sixth concussion of his career.

Commentary: Eight words no Steelers fan wants to hear: Tyrone Carter will start at strong safety Sunday. Polamalu is the team's best defensive player, and is the key to the league's top-ranked defense. He plays with a complete disregard to his body, and while very few players in the league are more effective than Polamalu when he's healthy, his style of play is not conducive to appearing in 16-plus games a year. He has not been ruled out of Week 8 yet, but considering the Steelers will need Polamalu come December, coupled with his history of head injuries, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him sit this one out.

McFadden is becoming an outstanding all-around cornerback after wresting the starting job from veteran Deshea Townsend. To be fair, Townsend was the starter going into the season, but a heel injury gave rise to McFadden, who's an unrestricted free agent poised to be a hot commodity on the market next year.

Not good times in Steel City. With the team gearing up to face the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, whose receiving corps is led by ex-Steeler Plaxico Burress, tthe last thing Pittsburgh needed was to have the depth in its secondary tested. As recently as last year, the Steelers moved safety Anthony Smith to strong safety to fill the void of Polamalu. Smith has barely played in 2008 for a variety of reasons, one of those being that he drilled WR Hines Ward in a training camp drill. He hasn't made it out of the doghouse yet.

Fan Pulse: A big topic of conversation on Steelers Fever is how the team will fill the void left by McFadden and Polamalu.

Fantasy Football Impact: The Steelers defense leads the NFL with 25 sacks -- the first time it's held that distinction this far into this season since 2004. While Pittsburgh's linebackers -- mostly James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley -- have been outstanding, the defense is able to bring as much pressure as it does because of the coverage ability of Polamalu and McFadden down the field. Don't expect another seven-sack performance against the Giants like the Steelers had versus Cincinnati in Week 7.

Injury Watch: Lost in the shuffle of a new rash of injuries is that running back Willie Parker is likely to return to the lineup. He's missed the past three games -- all wins -- with a knee injury.
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About Neal Coolong

Neal Coolong is a freelance sports writer with contributions to Scout.com, AOL and Steelers Live. He lives with his fiance in St. Paul, Minn., and saves every dime (that she knows about) for their wedding next June. He's already made the prediction that the Steelers 2007 draft class will be one...
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