NFL 2011 Week 5 Analysis: Tennessee Vs Pittsburgh

NFL 2011 Week 5
Tennessee vs Pittsburgh
Tennessee was ascending last year (2010) before injuries happened and this year they happened again...Kenny Britt has been lost again--he was lost most of 2010-- for the rest of the 2011 season with a bad leg injury in Week 3. Of course Vince Young is gone to Philly and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck stepped in and I still think they've saved the team from ruin by acquiring him. Running back Chris Johnson still needs to be integrated into the offense after arriving late. I don't know if they have their preferred quarterback for the future on the roster now or not...they gave the quarterback reigns to newly acquired Matt Hasselbeck not wishing to rely on their young back up Rusty Smith.

Pittsburgh has been a rival with the Tennessee Titans who used to be the Houston Oilers and were in the same division as the Steelers for years...Mike Munchak who is the new Titans head coach now has been with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans--non-stop-- since his playing days in the late 1970s. This is like the Steelers playing the Oilers in the Bum Phillips days of Earl Campbell to the Pittsburgh fans. Mike Munchak who is a former Penn State Nittany Lion is a NFL Hall of fame member as well...there's a lot of interest in this game in Pennsylvania where I'm from.

Former Houston Oiler fans might have had a rough time seeing their Oilers go to Tennessee...Coach Munchak has been a constant presence, though, through all these 30+ years.

Pittsburgh never seems to be able to be identified as ascending or descending because they are so reliably good every year...how do you ascend from a Super Bowl appearance even though they lost. On the other hand this Tennessee team has a Nashville city of music behind them and America can always identify with Nashville even if they don't listen to country music...after last year's descent into mediocrity the Titans might still be descending by some people's measure though the veteran Hasselbeck should flatten out the fall.

They have an identifiable base that is similar to the far-Southern roots it established in Houston for years. They've had very few coaching changes over the years and have had continuity...Mike Munchak has been with this franchise since the late 1970s.

Pittsburgh is a 6.5 point favorite in this game despite the fact that Tennessee has outscored the Steelers this year scoring 22 points a game to the Steelers 16...the Steelers just lost a bruising game (17-10) to Houston in Week 4: Ben Roethlisberger hurt his foot and might not play on Sunday. Tennessee had a relatively easy game in Cleveland in Week 4 and should be fresher.

My Prediction
Straight pick...Pittsburgh
Against the Point Spread...I pick Tennessee (+6.5)

Resources
Cooper's Pick
ESPN.go.com