Pittsburgh Steelers 2009 Season Review, Part One: Defense

In Miami last weekend, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2009 season came to a fitting conclusion in the waning moments of the final regular season game—Ike Taylor intercepted a pass.

 

It was his first interception since Dec. 7, 2008, and, amazingly, the first pick of 2009 from a Steelers starting cornerback.  (I’m not counting Deshea Townsend’s earlier pick, because he wasn’t a regular starter.)  Sure, there were only 36 seconds left in the season, but they finally got one. 

 

It was a proper microcosm for the 2009 season; someone made a play when it ultimately didn’t matter.  It was too little, too late.

 

But it was something else about Taylor that struck me, something I noticed a few weeks ago, before he shaved his hair into whatever pattern that was.  During the Baltimore game, the camera gave a wide shot of the Steelers sideline, and Taylor was standing facing the field with his helmet off.

 

On the middle of the back of his head was a tiny but noticeable bald spot.

 

And that is the real story behind the 2009 season.  Suddenly, dramatically, and with devastating results, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense got old.

 

Though his hairline says otherwise, Taylor, at 28, is a relative youngster on a defensive unit that features half a dozen starters who are now into their 30s.  The age of the defense was a primary factor in several losses this season, including all the blown fourth quarter leads.  Even in Miami, where the defense played one of its best all-around games of the season, they nearly collapsed one last time, giving up two touchdowns in three minutes of the final quarter to an offense headed by none other than Tyler Thigpen.

 

With 2009 now in the rear-view mirror, the organization must take a hard look at a group that was for many years the strength of the team.  The defense still put up respectable statistics and certainly doesn’t lack playmakers.  A healthy Troy Polamalu in 2010 would go a long way towards repairing what happened in ’09.

 

Here’s what happened—several dependable and reliable players suffered a noticeable decline or were hampered by injuries.  How much age has to do with this is anyone’s guess.  But it didn’t take a football savant to see that, on plays that mattered most, the defense was juuust a step too slow.  Too little, too late.

 

The principal offenders were Townsend and James Farrior, a pair of 34-year-olds who seemed to have lost a step or three overnight.  On the front line, Brett Keisel was productive but battled injuries and fatigue, while Aaron Smith’s season was over before it really got started.

 

James Harrison had another strong season (10 sacks) but seemed to wear down, initially after Smith got hurt and then again late in the year.  Ryan Clark, usually so steady at safety, was on the wrong end of several big plays.  Of course, you could say that about almost every player on the back seven.

 

A strange thing about the defense was that many young players failed to get a chance to perform, even as those playing in front of them were floundering.  This may be because the defense is difficult to learn—rookies don’t often crack the defensive lineup—but I thought several players deserved at least a shot at more playing time.  Guys like Ryan Mundy, Keyaron Fox, Joe Burnett, and Ziggy Hood weren’t on the field enough.

 

With depth being a major question at several positions, including cornerback, safety, and defensive tackle, the team may be in a precarious position this offseason due to some curious signings the previous two summers.

 

Before the 2008 season, they gave Farrior, who was 32 at the time, a five-year extension.  Before this season, the Steelers gave James Harrison, who is now 31, a similar five-year extension.  Both moves had good merit; Farrior was a key figure and leader in the locker room, and Harrison, after all, was the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

 

But the moves seem like head-scratchers when looking at how the franchise typically handles situations like that, when defensive players are getting older or declining.  That is, they are rarely, if ever, signed to long-term deals. 

 

The team let Joey Porter walk in 2006 when he was 29.  All-time sack leader Jason Gildon was 31 in 2003, his last season as a Steeler.  Clark Haggans was out of Pittsburgh by age 30; 28-year-old Larry Foote was not re-signed last year. Levon Kirkland was gone at 31, Greg Lloyd at 32.

 

Some think the Steelers are cheap because of the way these players were cast off.  But many of those moves were prescient.  Few, if any, of those players made an impact after leaving Pittsburgh (with Porter being a notable exception).

 

Another recurring theme in ‘09 was that untested and unproven players failed to step up.  This was a digression from past seasons, where special-team guys and up-and-comers routinely stepped into the starting lineup without missing a beat.  This past season was a different story.

 

There’s a reason Tyrone Carter has been a back-up safety for 10 seasons, and the Steelers found out the hard way. 

 

Pressed into starting duty, Carter was frequently caught out of position and became a huge liability in pass coverage.  He did have one huge game (Denver) but that was overshadowed by his poor play in most of the other 10 games he started.  He also affected the play of Clark, who was forced to cover more ground from sideline to sideline.

 

William Gay looked sharp early in the season but his play declined steadily the rest of the way.  He didn’t have a single interception despite getting thrown at almost twice as much as Taylor.  Gay didn’t provide much run support either.  He raised eyebrows only when he was trucked by Adrian Peterson in the Minnesota game.

 

That brings us to an interesting final point: Gay ascended to the starting position because former cornerback Bryant McFadden—for whom fans were positively pining this season—was not re-signed.  Was it because McFadden was a “Cowher guy” and Gay is a “Tomlin guy”?

 

No one can say for sure, but it’s clear that the team, as a whole, seems to be stuck in a transition phase. The offense has taken on a completely new identity under Tomlin, while the defense still has the same characteristics it had during the Age of Cowher.

 

Except—you guessed it—the players are all older.  A key free agent this offseason, one who’s already generating some buzz to either be re-signed or franchised, is nose tackle Casey Hampton.

 

His age?  32. 

 

Yikes.

 

 

Check back early next week for Part Two, which will include a review of the offense and the recent coaching staff shake-up.

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Finally, the Pittsburgh Steelers Win One

Stop the presses. Pop open the champagne. Ring the church bells. Set off the fireworks. Call the Mayor, the Governor, the President, and the Rooneys.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have won a football game.

Tomorrow morning, look for the following headline, in size 24-font, bold capital letters, on the front page of daily newspapers all across the state:  PITTSBURGH BEATS GREEN BAY.

News outlets from all over the country will choose this as their lead story of the night.  Writers will pull their hair out trying to find words to express what transpired. Coaches across all levels, when looking for ways to inspire their players, will scream thunderously, “Did the STEELERS quit when they lost FIVE IN A ROW?  NO!”

Cheeseheads all over Wisconsin will grit their teeth and seethe and hem and haw over the news that their guys have lost to a team like the Steelers. There will be cries to bench Aaron Rodgers, to fire Mike McCarthy, to bring back Brett Favre, to have Ted Thompson shipped to Saskatchewan.

The Steelers went 40 days without winning a game. That’s 35 days longer than George O’Leary’s tenure at Notre Dame, 30 days longer than Rasheed Wallace’s tenure with the Atlanta Hawks, and 16 days longer than Donte Stallworth’s stint in a Miami prison.

If Noah started building his ark after the last Steelers win, he would be done by now.

The last time the Steelers won a football game, Ken Griffey, Jr. was still in his thirties.  Ken Ober, Foge Fazio, Tommy Henrich, and the D.C. Sniper were still alive. Taylor Swift was still a teenager.

Lots of things happened in between. Al Groh, Charlie Weiss, Lawrence Frank, and Dick Jauron joined the ranks of the unemployed.

The New Jersey Nets lost 18 games in a row. Talk about a losing streak.

Hank Baskett became a father.

Britney Spears turned 28.

Tiger Woods…well, let’s not even get started with him.

In Pittsburgh, things turned ugly during the losing streak.  There was civil unrest in the streets. Ryan Clark was getting sacks full of hate mail every week. Mike Tomlin was branded as the second coming of the tyrant, Jon Gruden.

The citizens urged Dick LeBeau to retire. They called for Bob Ligashesky to be fired.  They demanded that Bruce Arians be dragged off to Market Square, where he would be hanged, drawn, and quartered.

New rivalries were spawned. We all remember John Madden’s Raiders and Don Shula’s Dolphins. We all know about Jerry Jones’ Cowboys and Bill Belichick’s Patriots. Now we have Eric Mangini’s Browns and Todd Haley’s Chiefs, rivalries which have the potential to eclipse any others in terms of intensity and longevity.

But none of that matters now. No more chants of “Six-and-seven! Boom-boom-bom-bom-bom. Six-and-seven! Boom-boom-bom-bom-bom.”  No more jokes about Super Bowl hangovers and locker room scuffles and players being thrown under bus by The Bus himself.

The Steelers have won a football game.

Grandfathers will be bouncing grandchildren on their knees someday, telling them about the Sunday late-afternoon game back in December 2009 when the Steelers beat the hated Packers. FSN will show retrospectives of this game during baseball rain delays.  ESPN Classic will rerun the game every year on the eve of training camp.

It has been reported that Ben Roethlisberger’s game-worn spikes will soon be on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Those who were lucky enough to attend the game in person would be wise to save those ticket stubs in shoe boxes for the rest of their lives. The media members who were lucky enough to be in the press box during this game will never again experience anything like it.

Move over Bradshaw, Franco, and Lambert. There is a new cast of legends about to join you. Names like Wallace, Foster, and Burnett will never be forgotten.

For many of the players, if not all, it will be the highlight of their careers. It will be memorialized on DVD and with a special commemorative issue of Sports Illustrated.  Executives at ESPN are already working on an NFL Films documentary about this game

Here we go Steelers, here we go. Wave those Terrible Towels proudly.

There will be riots in the Southside and Oakland tonight. Pittsburgh schools will all be on a two-hour delay. Courts and post offices will be closed for a day of celebration.  The city council will meet only for one hour, to discuss rewriting the budget so the city can afford another parade.

O happy day. Joy to the world. Christmas come early.

Steelers win.

(Steelers win!)

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Pittsburgh Steelers: What Went Wrong

As the ruins of the 2009 season are still smoldering with three games remaining, the Pittsburgh Steelers must take a long look in the mirror.  Depending on how the last trio of games plays out, they could be facing one of the longest and toughest offseason in recent memory.

 

After 2006, their last non-playoff year, there was a feel-good vibe from a strong finish (they won 6 of 8 after starting the season 2-6) and a coaching change, only the third since 1969.  They promptly returned to the playoffs and won a Super Bowl the following season.

 

After 2003, Pittsburgh’s worst season this decade, there was a sense of optimism when they were able to draft a stud quarterback named Ben Roethlisberger.  They promptly returned to the playoffs and won a Super Bowl the following season.

 

But 2009 could be a different story.  There are major questions at several positions, and the team has suddenly become old, especially on defense.  If 2009 ends on a sour note, the franchise could face its biggest test since the dark days of the late-90s, when three consecutive years ended without trips to the postseason.

 

But we can talk about the offseason when it comes.  For now, let’s revisit the recent dark days, specifically the last 35 on the calendar, when a 6-2 team that was considered a prime Super Bowl contender slowly, painfully, and agonizingly morphed into a 6-7 afterthought.

 

It has been quite a precipitous fall.  It has been quite a complete collapse.

 

So who is to blame?  In a word, everyone.

 

The struggles of the defense and special teams have been well-documented.  Special teams coach Bob Ligashevsky may be looking for work in a few weeks.  And while it’s almost taboo to even think of criticizing Dick LeBeau, he must be held somewhat accountable for the fourth quarter meltdowns, miscommunications, and everything else that has gone wrong for a unit that was, until very recently, a feared and respected defense.

 

But what about the offense?  Bruce Arians is under a ton of heat and may also be canned at season’s end, but how much blame does he deserve?

 

Roethlisberger has thrived under this system.  The offense is in the top 10 statistically in rushing, passing, and total offense.  Mendenhall has emerged as a legitimate feature back, a possible future Pro Bowler.  Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes are having solid seasons, as is Heath Miller.  Mike Wallace pretty much exceeded all expectations.

 

You could make a case that the offense has produced enough to win in every game except three:  at home against Minnesota (259 total yards, although they won thanks to two touchdowns by the defense), at home against Cincy (only 12 points on four field goals and 226 total yards) and, of course, that horrifying performance at Cleveland last week (six points on two field goals and a season-low 216 total yards, against a Browns defense ranked 31^st in the NFL and missing four starters).

 

In reality, though, the offense just isn’t good enough.  You can throw out all the stats you want, but the bottom line is this:  the offense is way too predictable (I think even my grandma can tell when they are running that stretch play to the right side) and the play calling has become terrible (shotgun on third-and-one is fine—if you’re a college team running the spread).

 

This group has too much talent to be averaging only 21.3 points per game.  As an offensive unit, they lack creativity, struggle in the red zone, and have no killer instinct.  I don’t believe Arians deserves to stick around.

 

Give the reins to Ken Anderson—he’s the real reason Roethlisberger has blossomed over the last three seasons, in my opinion—and see what he can do.  Let him tinker the playbook a little bit to fit the strengths of his players.  Let him put the fullback into the offense again.  Anderson would at least run the ball on third-and-one.

 

As far as laying the blame to individual players, it’s tough because so many guys have come up short at different spots.  I really shouldn’t single out specific players.

 

Ok, maybe a couple.

 

Tyrone Carter has been mostly disappointing since filling in for Troy Polamalu.  William Gay played well at the end of ’08 and at the beginning of ’09, but has regressed steadily ever since. 

 

Jeff Reed set the tone early by missing two field goals in Chicago, essentially blowing the game.  Limas Sweed followed suit a week later in Cincinnati by dropping a sure touchdown pass, essentially blowing the game.

 

Deshea Townsend lost a step in the offseason, then lost another shortly after training camp.  Ike Taylor hasn’t lived up to his lofty reputation and has possibly the worst hands of anyone in the NFL not named Sweed.

 

James Farrior cost the team on four game-deciding plays:  twice he didn’t get the defensive call to the secondary (on the final plays against Oakland and Kansas City) and twice he failed to stay with his guy on fourth down (Brian Leonard in the game at Cincinnati, and Ray Rice in the game at Baltimore).

 

Even Health Miller, old reliable, has made some key drops, including one off his face that was intercepted.

 

Honestly, we could probably do this with every single player on the team.  So let’s move on to the big guy.

 

Mike Tomlin has come under increasing fire lately.  The chic thing to do now is declare him the next Jon Gruden, which has suddenly become the most insulting thing ever.

 

First of all, anyone calling for Tomlin to be replaced doesn’t deserve to be taken seriously for two reasons.  One, he has the most secure job in the NFL and will likely get a contract extension after this season.  Two, he won the Super Bowl last year in only his second season.  He could go 0-16 this year and still keep his job.

 

That being said, Tomlin probably deserves all the criticism he’s getting.  He failed to make adjustments when his offense couldn’t score in the red zone and his defense couldn’t protect fourth quarter leads.  He failed to make line-up changes after he said he would.  And his “unleash hell” comment just seems silly in retrospect, a Coors Light commercial waiting to happen.

 

But could this losing streak somehow be a good thing?  Bill Cowher made the play-offs in each of his first six seasons and never faced a true crisis until 1998, when the team went on an ugly five-game losing streak and finished 7-9. 

 

But remember, during those first six seasons, he also lost a winnable Super Bowl and two AFC Championship games at Three Rivers Stadium.  It may be a blessing that Tomlin is facing this type of adversity now, so that it will help him in the long run

 

If nothing else, it will be interesting to see how Tomlin handles these final games, which could be three of the biggest games so far in his young coaching career.  If he loses them all, the media could be unleashing hell in December.  And that wouldn’t be much fun for anyone.

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Pittsburgh Steelers Hit Rock Bottom…Again

When the Pitt Panthers suffered a heartbreaking, soul-crushing 45-44 loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday afternoon in the Big East championship, it was rightly proclaimed one of Pitt’s toughest losses in years.

 

It was also reasonable to think it would be years until football fans in Pittsburgh would witness an equally devastating loss at Heinz Field.

 

Well, thanks to the Steelers, it only took about 24 hours.

 

The Steelers fell to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, clinching their first four-game losing streak since 2003 and putting a severe dent in their playoff hopes.

 

It was a shocking final score—an impossible defeat that was by far the worst of an ever-worsening season. That is, until this week, when they will somehow find a way to lose to the dreadful Cleveland Browns.

 

They can’t lose that one, right?  It could not happen, could it? It seems we were just asking these questions, not only about the Oakland game but also the Chiefs game three weeks ago.

 

At the end of each of those games, the scoreboards registered the same unbelievable reality: Raiders 27, Steelers 24.

 

It’s not just that the Steelers are losing. It’s the way they are losing:

 

Week Two: Steelers up 14-7, ball at the Chicago 28-yard line, 11:37 left

 

Week Three: Steelers up 20-16, ball at the Cincinnate 29-yard line, 5:00 left

 

Week 11: Steelers up 24-17, ball at the Kansas City 9-yard line, 8:31 left

 

Week 12: Steelers up 20-17, ball at the Baltimore 10-yard line, 6:24 left

 

Week 13: Steelers up 24-20, ball at the Oakland 12-yard line, 1:56 left

 

That’s five leads, all in the fourth quarter, and all with the other guys starting deep in their own territory.

 

As we all know, the Steelers blew it every single time. And I know this a totally ridiculous thing to say, but this team is only about eight or nine plays away from being 11-1.  It’s true. Sad but true.

 

As for the Raiders game, the defense once again deserves the lion’s share of the blame.  But let’s first address the offense—for they are not without fault. 

 

It’s true that they did put up 24 points, which should normally be enough to beat the Raiders by 21. But that is a deceptive total, because the offense continued a troubling trend by squandering several golden opportunities.

 

Stefan Logan set them up shortly after the coin toss, taking the opening kickoff back to the Oakland 19-yard line. What followed was basically a three-and-out, and they had to settle for a field goal.

 

On the next possession, Rashard Mendenhall ripped off a 60-yard run to about the 15.  That was followed promptly by another three-and-out, in which they had two cracks to pick up one yard but couldn’t do it. Again, they were playing the Raiders—the Oakland Raiders. 

 

Just before halftime, Ben Roethilsberger’s pass to the back of the end zone was picked off by Hiram Eugene. If he didn’t catch it, the Raider defensive back behind him would have likely picked it off.

 

Add it all up and that’s an average of one point per trip to the red zone—three points on three trips, against the Raiders.

 

And, of course—in what is frighteningly becoming the expected course of action, rather than the exception—the defense once again played uninspired, unmotivated, and unbelievably bad when the stakes were highest.

 

Once again they blew a fourth-quarter lead. Once again they failed to make plays they were in position to make. Once again they seemed to tire as the game wore on. And once again they failed get a critical stop when they so desperately needed it.

 

Now all of this wouldn’t be so egregious if Pittsburgh was playing, say, the Vikings, or even this year’s Bengals. 

 

But here were the Oakland Raiders on the other side of the ball. They are 31st in the NFL in total offense, their coach once punched one of their other coaches, they just benched their quarterback, and they’ve lost at least 11 games for the past six seasons!

 

This was Louis Murphy, Johnny Lee Higgins, Bruce Gradkowski, and someone named Chaz Schilens rolling up 272 yards and three touchdowns on the Steelers defense—all in the fourth quarter.  

 

Until that point, the Raiders as a team had five touchdown catches for the season.

 

I know the Steelers miss Troy Polamalu, but I don’t think he can cover three guys on every play. It doesn’t help that, with the exception of Mr. Polamalu, the secondary has terrible ball skills. On the last drive, they needed to make one play, and they simply couldn’t do it.

 

Murphy should never have caught that ball between William Gay and Ryan Mundy (when Gay got knocked out). Ike Taylor and Deshea Townsend should never have let Murphy catch that wounded duck that Gradkowski threw up about a mile in the air.

 

Burnett should never have dropped that sure interception, even if it was his first real play on defense. He will never see an easier one for the rest of his football career.

 

It’s also unclear why Mundy was even in the game on the final drive, or why he let Murphy run untouched to the back of the end zone on the final play.

 

Tomlin seemed exasperated after yet another astonishing loss, saying simply, “We had the opportunity to make plays, and we didn’t.”

 

So the Steelers have some serious soul-searching to do. In the same season they easily defeated the now 8-4 Broncos, dominated the now 9-3 Chargers, and handed the now 10-1 Vikings their first defeat, Pittsburgh has lost to the Raiders and Chiefs by identical scores of 27-24, had trouble with the Lions and Browns, lost to the now 5-7 Bears, and were swept by the Bengals and will possibly be swept by the Ravens.

 

So a once-sparkling 6-2 record has become 6-6. Even if the Steelers were to run the table—and that seems almost comically unlikely at this point—they will probably need some other teams to falter to even have a shot at the postseason. 

 

When the Steelers started 1-2, the whispers of “it’s 2006 all over again” began. Ten weeks later and the whisperers can shout. In Steeler country, it seems more and more likely that 2006 and 2009 will be remembered the same way. 

 

When coach Tomlin remarked after the Ravens loss that the Steelers would “unleash hell” in December, he was right on the mark. What he didn’t expect was that the victim would be the Pittsburgh fans, who endured a fourth consecutive unbearable Sunday—each one more unbearable than the last.

 

On Thursday night, the Steelers take their act to primetime once again as they travel to Cleveland to face the lowly Browns. They can’t lose that one, right?  It could not happen, could it?

 

Could it?

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What Hines Ward Really Meant To Say

Has this Hines Ward-Big Ben controversy-that-probably-isn’t-a-controversy got your head spinning? Mine, too.

 

Not only do I still not know what Ward was talking about when he decided to give an informative monologue on head trauma, but also I’m pretty sure Hines doesn’t know either.

 

Ward, who has no formal medical training, shared his musings about concussions without bothering to edit them. Or put them in complete sentences. Or consider what the ramifications would be. 

 

Instead of remaining in his bald head, they came out of his mouth, in front of a national audience.

 

He wanted to clear things up about his comments, which created a firestorm even before Bob Costas took his make-up off. Take it away, Dr. Ward.

 

 

What Hines said

 

“I could see some players or teammates questioning, like, it’s just a concussion.”

 

 

What Hines meant

 

“Sure, at some point, some players or teammates could question someone getting a concussion. But that doesn’t happen on the Steelers. We are a close-knit team full of veteran guys and leaders.”

 

Hines really hasn’t said anything here. He creates his very own hypothetical situation, which includes a hypothetical locker room. He never once says this is happening in Pittsburgh. Why? Because it isn’t. He was talking about something different, as he later clarified, about who has and has not played with a concussion.

 

 

What Hines said

 

“I’ve played with a concussion before.”

 

 

What Hines meant

 

“After laying out many unsuspecting defensive backs and linebackers with huge blocks, I’ve stayed in games despite being a little woozy or maybe not smiling for a few seconds here and there.  But I’ve never been formally diagnosed with a concussion; I may have been embellishing a little there.”

 

Again, no disrespect here, just rambling thoughts. Roethlisberger has played with a concussion before; many others have as well. Nobody’s calling anybody out, and there’s no outburst.

 

 

What Hines said:  

 

“It’s almost like a 50-50 toss up in the locker room. Should he play? Shouldn’t he play? It’s really hard to say.”

 

 

What Hines meant

 

“As to who has or has not played with a concussion, it’s probably 50-50. Ben’s a tough guy and I’m sure he wants to play. Unfortunately, it’s up to the doctors and not him, so it creates a tough situation.”

 

This is where Hines starts to tread water, although he’s still talking to himself about some imaginary locker room, I think. Also, he’s not really thinking about what he’s saying, instead of focusing on how good he looks in his rustic red blazer-blue button-up shirt combo.

 

 

What Hines said

 

“I’ve been out there dinged up; the following week, got right back out there.”

 

 

What Hines meant

 

“I’ve come back from hits before, but Ben took a particularly brutal knee to the head.  Nobody knows how he’s feeling except him.”

 

Ward is starting to say things he shouldn’t be saying. Costas looks like he’s loving it, too; I’m sure the same goes for Mark Madden.

 

 

What Hines said

 

“Ben practiced all week. He split time with Dennis Dixon. And then to find out that he’s still having some headaches and not playing and it came down to the doctors didn’t feel that they were going to clear him or not—it’s hard to say.”

 

 

What Hines meant

 

“Ben practiced all week. He split time with Dennis Dixon. And then he had some headaches, but he really wanted to play. He even pleaded with Coach Tomlin at the last minute, but the doctors said ‘no.’ That’s a tough situation for anybody.”

 

Now Ward is really starting to ramble, and it’s kind of understandable. He was as stunned as anyone to hear Ben wasn’t playing, and he really didn’t know what was going on. Really, he shouldn’t have been saying anything about such an internal matter.

 

What Hines said

 

“Unless you’re the person. … I’ve lied to a couple of doctors saying, ‘I’m straight, I feel good’ when I know that I’m not really straight. I don’t think guys really worry about the future when they’re playing currently in the NFL.”

 

 

What Hines meant

 

“Well, Ben never puts himself above the team.  We know if he was all right, he would play.  Even after the doctors said he shouldn’t play, he still wanted to. You can’t play in this league without being physically and mentally tough.  Guys generally have no regard for their future when they’re playing.”

 

By this point, Ward has thoroughly confused everyone, so let’s see what he had to say after the game, when it was determined that his comments were about to cause a minor stir.

 

 

What Hines said

 

“Finding out your starting quarterback was not playing until Saturday, it was shocking…. Me calling him out or whatever, that wasn’t my intention.”

 

 

What Hines meant

 

“I’m still mad about the time Roethlisberger said in the offseason that the Steelers should get a tall receiver. What’s wrong with six-foot-tall receivers like me and Santonio? We both have Super Bowl MVP trophies, right?  How many does Ben have?”

 

*Whoa, whoa…let’s turn that mic off for a sec…

 

What Hines really meant

 

“I never meant to call out anyone. I was just saying what I thought, like I always do, and my comments came across as misunderstood because I was a little intimidated by Bob Costas. We were all a little worried because coach Tomlin didn’t say right away that Ben wasn’t starting, and then he baffled everyone even more when he made Ben the third QB.  But I know Ben would be in there if he could.”

 

Glad we got that all straightened out. Really, this little mini-controversy that is actually not a controversy is that last thing the Steelers need at this point, and it will be over soon.  Ward recently posted a long apology on his Facebook that makes just a tiny bit more sense than his initial comments.

 

Nevertheless—turning to actual football for a minute—I agree with Mike Prisuta, who said that the Baltimore loss should be a uniting force for the team. They turned in a valiant effort Sunday night against a very good team fighting for its life.  If they can play that well on the road with their third-string QB against a desperate opponent, then, hey, there’s no reason they should lose any of their remaining five games.

 

Roethlisberger will be back—if Dr. Ward clears him—and, eventually, Troy Polamalu and Chris Kemoeatu will return. The Raiders and Browns are the next two opponents on the schedule. And, say what you want about this Steelers team, but they haven’t even gotten close to playing their best game yet. If they ever do, the team can beat anyone in the league. 

 

But they need to stop beating themselves first. And please, keep Hines at least 100 yards away from Bob Costas at all times.

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Steelers Lose Ugly in Arrowhead; Baltimore Showdown Looms

If you thought Pittsburgh’s two losses to Cincinnati or their early season give-away in Chicago were ugly defeats, this particular Steelers team on Sunday could’ve borrowed a line from Bachman-Turner Overdrive:  “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

The Steelers found a way to eclipse the ugliness of any losses in recent memory, falling in overtime to the undermanned and underwhelming Kansas City Chiefs. These were the same Chiefs who just last week released their top running back and suspended their top wide receiver. 

While the victory was huge for Kansas City (who now own a two-game winning streak for the first time since 2007) it was demoralizing and debilitating on a number of levels for the Steelers. Not even the news that the AFC-North leading Bengals were stunned by the Oakland Raiders could ease the pain of this defeat. Well, maybe that helped a little…good to know the Bungles are back.

This loss was far worse than the other three blemishes on Pittsburgh’s record, which now stands at a precarious 6-4. Quite simply, the Chiefs were a terrible team, arguably the worst on the whole schedule if you erase Cleveland from the board. Kansas City came in ranked near the bottom of the league in total offense, total defense, total wins and total continuity. Before Sunday, their only two victories came against Oakland and Washington, two other clubs involved in a tight nine-team battle for next year’s No.1 overall pick.

The Steelers did so many bad things on Sunday, it’s difficult to pick just one that doomed them. Donavan Woods, their newest addition to shore up the beleaguered kickoff team, made his impact felt early. In fact, it was on the game’s first play that he failed to tackle yet another opposing returner who eventually found the end zone. Woods later chipped in with a holding penalty on a punt return. Perhaps coach Tomlin will spare him the fate of Arnold Harrison, who was recently exiled to the Browns.

The defense played generally well and was even dominant at times, but continued a disturbing trend of failing to get a stop when they need to late in the game. It’s one thing to allow Brett Favre and the Vikings to drive down the field in the fourth quarter; it’s quite unacceptable to give up a 91-yard drive to Matt Cassell and the Chiefs to tie the game.

As for offensive rhythm, that has become an oxymoron in Pittsburgh. Despite another huge game from Hines Ward and a rejuvenated red zone offense, they still came up short in big moments and made some head-scratching mistakes.

Heath Miller uncharacteristically allowed a pass to bounce through his hands for a pick. Roethlisberger uncharacteristically threw a pick in the red zone under heavy pressure. Mike Wallace uncharacteristically fumbled after a long catch. And so on. 

This loss also overshadowed what may have been the finest game of Rashard Mendenhall’s young career. He had 116 total yards of offense, a modest number to be sure, but made his presence felt all over the field.

It’s clear that he is the best option among the running backs to both carry the ball and pick up the blitz. He showed that he can be a dangerous receiver out of the backfield. He also made what should have been the play of the game when he valiantly ran down Chiefs defensive tackle Andy Studebaker inside the five yard-line at the tail end of a 94-yard interception return.

In the extra frame, even with Charlie Batch coming into the game ice-cold and flinging a pinpoint first-down pass, the Steelers managed to screw up their only overtime possession. Whether it was Batch or Bruce Arians who changed the final third down play from a pass to a run we may never know, but it turned a makeable (or at least attempt-able) 53-yard field goal into a too-risky 55-yarder, forcing the punt.

In the end, almost fittingly, cornerback Ike Taylor was betrayed by his hands. These are the same hands that have cost him countless interceptions and at least a couple Pro Bowl berths over the course of an otherwise standout career. Taylor appeared to make a fine play on a deep ball, but he couldn’t control it all the way to the ground. One play later, Chris Chambers took advantage of what appeared to be a confused Steelers defense and galloped 61 yards to the 3. Ball game.

So now the season comes down to the first of two gladiator games in Baltimore. It will be a rematch of the 2008 AFC Championship game, and it might as well be an elimination game for each team. The frustrated Ravens have lost narrowly to the Colts (by 2), Patriots (by 6), Bengals (by 3) and Vikings (by 2). They are due for a win over Pittsburgh after going 0-for-3 last season.

The intensity for this rivalry game, already at a fever pitch, will be ratcheted up another notch. This does not bode well for the team whose quarterback recently sustained what looked like a nasty concussion.

A loss in Baltimore doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the line for the Steelers, whose unexpected life-raft came from the Raiders. It would be close, however. The flood waters are rising, and Pittsburgh will be swimming upstream from here on out.

But as for the 2009 season being completely over?  Hopefully, we ain’t seen nothing yet.

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Steelers-Broncos Monday Night Football: Running Commentary

Monday Night Football. It’s finally here. Prime time. The eyes of millions are watching.  My two modest eyes are watching as well. This is what transpired.

 

 

Pregame

 

Do-do do doooo…dododo, dododo…do-do do do dooooo……do-do do do-do do doooo…baam, baaam, baaaam, baaam, baaaaaaaaaaaaaam…….do-do do-do dooo!

 

Welcome to a prime time running diary of one of the better Monday night matchups of 2009 thus far. As always, I must thank the great Bill Simmons for inventing this writing style.

 

(By the way, that mishmash above is a written interpretation of the Monday Night Football theme song. It works better if you sing it.)

 

Tonight’s game is a huge, huge showdown between the 6-1 Broncos and the 5-2 Steelers. The winner will have the inside track to one of the top seeds in the AFC. The loser will face an uphill battle in what is shaping up to be a tight and competitive playoff race.

 

Denver is coming off of their worst game of the season; Pittsburgh is coming off of their most impressive win. Pittsburgh is 11-1 in prime time and 4-0 on Monday nights under Mike Tomlin. Denver is 7-2-1 all-time at home against Pittsburgh in the regular season.  In the words of Myron Cope, “Deck the Broncos, they’re just Yonkos…”

 

 

First Quarter

 

15:00 Denver comes out in their orange uniforms tonight, not the orange of John Elway and Bobby Humphrey, but the modern (meaning ugly) orange jerseys, a variation of their normal ugly jerseys. At least they’re not wearing this .

 

14:55  Kyle Orton is 18-2 as a starter at home in his career. Wonder what Jay Cutler’s home record is? Meanwhile, Mike Tirico notes that there are “a lot of orange pom-pom’s, but wait: I see a lot of Terrible Towels.” Hey Denver—nice pop-pom’s!

 

12:58 Casey Hampton is already winded, not good news considering the defensive line is already missing Aaron Smith and Travis Kirschke. The Steelers are also without Lawrence Timmons and—as you may have heard in the news at some point over the past two weeks—Ryan Clark.

 

10:24 Orton starts off hot, completing his first four. William Gay and Troy Polamalu converge to force a third-down incompletion, which halts the drive. Denver kicker Matt Prater splits the uprights on a 42-yard field goal. Josh McDaniels then flashes the least-manly thumbs-up in modern history. 3-0, Bad Guys.

 

7:54  Ben Roethlisberger is sacked by Elvis Dumerville his 11^th of the season. He’s nearly on pace to tie Michael Strahan’s single-season sack record of 22.5. It’s too bad Denver’s last game isn’t against Brett Favre and the Vikes.

 

5:17 Orton looks very sharp and is 7-for-8 for 81 yards so far. It could be because he’s wearing Jake Plummer’s old beard, chinstrap, and wristbands. 

 

3:12  Mitch Berger, freshly signed last week to “get better directional kicking” (Tirico’s words, not mine) punts one in the end zone. Maybe next week Denver will sign Paul Ernster.

 

1:47  For the first time in ages, the Steelers O-line perfectly picks up a blitz. Unfortunately, one play later they revert back to normal, as Roethlisberger takes another sack, his 214^th since 2004, and yes, that leads the NFL. Meanwhile, the announcing crew is locked in a vigorous competition for the No. 1 spot in the Ty Law Fan Club. Gruden has the early lead.

 

 

Second Quarter

 

12:50 Tyrone Carter!!! Clark’s replacement at safety picks off an errant throw and takes it back 48 yards for the touchdown. It’s only Orton’s second pick of the year, and it was even uglier than his beard. 7-3, Good Guys.

 

9:20 Orton looks slightly rattled but still makes two perfect throws on consecutive third downs to keep the Broncos moving. This is a surprisingly solid offense, although they cannot run the ball anywhere today.

 

7:40 Denver loses a challenge and subsequently converts a 4^th -and-5. Ballsy call there by Daniel McDaniel. It’s all for naught, however, as James Harrison draws a hold, as he does on pretty much every play. This one was spotted by the refs and appropriately flagged.

 

7:05  27-yard punt by Berger. Boos rain down from Mile High Invesco Stadium at Mile High Field, or whatever it’s called. It’s unclear if the boos are coming from Broncos or Steelers fans. Probably a little of both.

 

5:37 first-down machine Mike Wallace makes his first catch of the day, but the drive stalls later when the Broncos bring their relentless pressure. I gotta say, this defense is impressive. The front seven is tough against the run and the pass, and Brian Dawkins makes plays all over the field.

 

2:33  From Gruden: “I’ve never seen more Terrible Towels than I did over there in Iraq.” Steelers fans plans for world domination are slowly coming to fruition.

 

0:18  Rookie defensive back Joe Burnett gets pushed into Berger on a punt, and there’s another penalty—on Limas Sweed of all people, and … let’s just all go into the locker room.

 

 

****Halftime Festivities****

 

 

Third Quarter

 

13:28 Rashard Mendenhall is not getting enough carries tonight. Roethlisberger executes a nice play-action and finds Ward, as the Steelers cross the 50-yard line for the first time all night. 

 

11:16 The Broncos answer Pittsburgh’s defensive touchdown with one of their own.  Kenny Peterson strips Big Ben, and rookie Robert Ayers scoops it up and goes 54 yards for the score. Daniel McJosh is fired up. 10-7, Yonkos.

 

9:09  Four plays, 80 yards, 2:07. That is called a response. Wallace for 18 yards, Mendenhall for 24, Holmes for 35, Ward with a slick three-yard TD catch. Unquestionably Pittsburgh’s best drive of the season. “They made the Steelers mad, it looks like,” says Gruden. Yes they did. 14-10, Black ‘N’ Gold.

 

7:20 Berger puts a punt down inside the 5-yard line for the first time since the late-1990s. Sepulveda is not impressed.

 

6:31  Heeeeeaaaath….

 

2:26  Mendenhall closing in on 100 yards. Roethlisberger performing surgery on the No. 1 defense in the NFL. Receivers making plays all over the field. And … killer interception by Andre Goodman at the goal line. Huge play. Hyuuge play.

 

0:18 Ike Taylor and Ryan Mundy combine for a big third-down tackle on Brandon Stokley. That may turn out to be an underrated big play. Stay tuned.

 

 

Fourth Quarter

 

13:09 Jeff Reed should take tackling lessons from Daniel Sepulveda.

 

12:04 Tirico: “That is an awful kick.” Guess who was punting? Hint: It wasn’t Sepulveda.

 

10:04  Mendenhall is now up to 104 yards on only 15 carries. The end is near for the Age of Willie Parker. Meanwhile, the Steelers drive stalls as Roethlisberger misfires on two straight passes. Also, there’s been a Limas Sweed spotting. Talk about a dramatic game.

 

8:33 Polamalu with two fine plays in a row: He blitzed and stopped Correll Buckhalter in his tracks in the backfield, and on the next play he picked off an errant Orton pass. On the ensuing series, Dawkins answers with an equally impressive play in the backfield.

 

7:03  Roethlisberger side-steps the blitz as if it were a crack in the sidewalk and fires a strike to Mike Wallace for a touchdown. Fabulous play by Big Ben there. You would think teams would learn not to blitz him on third down. You would think. 21-10, Good Guys.

 

6:30  An ugly three-and-out for Denver that even included a fumble by Orton. Mewelde Moore had a smooth punt return called back on a flag. Time for Mendenhall to put this one out of reach.

 

3:47  Tick, tick, tick…

 

2:00  Tirico: “Invesco at Mile High sounds like Hienz Field.” Ward caps off what may be Pittsburgh’s most impressive drive of the season with another touchdown catch in which he hurdled Champ Bailey on his way into the end zone.

 

0:15 Carter ends the carnage with another pick. It’s Orton’s third of the night, tripling his season total. Tremendous win for the Steelers. A statement game if there ever was one, dominating on the road with four starters missing. 28-10, Champs. Bring on the Bengals.

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Steelers Impressive Heading into Bye Week

Nov. 1 will be a quiet day in Western Pennsylvania, as the Steelers will not be on glorious display as they are most other Sundays. In fact, the Steelers will be idle for a total of 15 days, practically an eternity on the NFL calendar.

 

Though there are some concerns about a tiring and increasingly injured defense, as well as some suspect play on special teams, there is really no need to worry about the defending Champs at this point.

 

Ben Roethlisberger is on track to possibly have his best season. The passing game is one of the most dangerous in league. Rashard Mendenhall has propped up a shaky run game, while the offensive line has steadily improved and is starting to finally mesh as a group.

 

The defense has shown it can withstand one major loss (Troy Polamalu) and will have to do so again, playing out the remainder of the year without Aaron Smith. Their first game without him was encouraging, as the NFL’s leading rusher was only able to accumulate 69 yards on the ground.

 

And for those who like to nitpick, lest we forget that these 2009 Steelers are basically two plays away from being undefeated. Here are four encouraging signs for the Steelers as they approach their one-week hiatus…

 

 

1. They Have Yet To Play Their Best Game

 

Anyone who watched the first six games can explain why each game was far from perfect. There have been ugly mistakes on offense (Who can forget that fumbling contest they had with the Browns?) and some lapses on defense, most notably during those blown fourth quarter leads at Cincinnati and Chicago. For every big play, there has been a key drop or a seemingly back-breaking turnover.

 

Pittsburgh has yet to play the complete, 60-minute, dominating game that they are capable of. The closest they have come in 2009 was last week’s game against Minnesota (more on that below), but even that was mistake-laden.

 

Remember, in 2008 the Steelers didn’t have a convincing, dominating win until Week Seven against the Bengals (and it really wasn’t that impressive, considering how poor the Bengals were a year ago). The true statement game didn’t come until Week 13, when they demolished the undermanned Patriots.

 

The statement game in 2009 is yet to come.

 

 

2. They Are Sticking to What They Do Best on Offense

 

For the first time in a while, it can be said with some certainty that Pittsburgh’s strength lies not in the running game, as it usually does, but in the explosive passing attack. They are seventh in the NFL in total offense and fifth in passing, throwing for 276 yards per game. (By comparison, Roethlisberger threw for 170 per game in his rookie season.)

 

On any given play, Big Ben (one of the top quarterbacks in the game) can throw to Hines Ward (Pittsburgh’s all-time leading receiver), Santonio Holmes (reigning Super Bowl MVP and future Pro Bowler), Mike Wallace (speedy Rookie of the Year candidate), or Heath Miller (the most underrated tight end in football).

 

He also has three running backs who are capable pass catchers, and yes, that includes Willie Parker, whose five catches thus far have nearly doubled his season total of three receptions in 2008.

 

The offense has been borderline unstoppable at times, especially in the red zone. They reeled off one stretch where they scored eight consecutive touchdowns in eight trips inside the 20. They have been derailed at least a couple times by red zone turnovers, but overall seem to be able to punch it in when they want.

 

(I would tell you more about fancy stuff like red-zone efficiency and run-pass ratio, but—as crazy as this sounds—these stats are nearly impossible to find online. If anyone can find some, please let me know.)

 

 

3. The Schedule!

 

Trips to Arrowhead and Cleveland Browns Stadium (Could there be a worse stadium name?) are sandwiched between a home date with Oakland on Dec. 6. Three easy wins? Of course not, but wins the Steelers should have and must have if they are going to be a playoff team.

 

Other than that, Pittsburgh has two games that should be very tough (at Denver, home against Green Bay) and the annual home-and-away bloodbaths against Baltimore, which should come down to the wire as usual, but don’t seem as daunting as they did in September when the Ravens looked unstoppable.

 

The Broncos game is formidable, but 1) Denver is due for some bad luck, and 2) Pittsburgh normally plays well on Monday nights.

 

 

4. The Win over the Vikings Was Impressive on a Number of Levels

 

Lost in the hullabaloo of the fourth quarter fireworks in that game was how disciplined the Pittsburgh defense played on a day when the offense was up-and-down.

 

LeBeau was a mastermind. He took away the quick passes—Favre’s biggest strength—for most of the game. He made sure Adrian Peterson wasn’t able to get to the corner. The defense played admirably, swallowing up the run game while Polamalu and Ryan Clark made key plays deep in the secondary to keep the game close.

 

(Clark is out for the Denver game, and if he misses more than a week, the Steelers may be in a bit of trouble. When he got hurt in 2007, the defense eventually unraveled without his steady play.)

 

Back to the Minnesota game: The Steelers defense scored twice in a matter of minutes on 70-plus yard plays. That might have been the craziest stat I’ve heard in quite some time, except on that same Sunday I heard these two stats, each more incredible than the next:

 

•Vikings guard Steve Hutchinson was called for his first penalty in 27 games; and,

 

•the Buffalo Bills offense had only one first-and-goal for the entire season until they finally got another one in the third quarter of their game at Carolina.

 

Again, back to the Minnesota game: The best thing about the victory is that the Steelers played just OK. Average at best on offense, not very good on special teams, and just good enough on defense. Usually playing that way isn’t going to cut it against a 6-0 team. Unless you’re the defending Champions.

 

However you slice it, the Steelers head into the bye week at 5-2, after a 1-2 start, and in position to defend their AFC North title and return to the playoffs. 2006, it ain’t.

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Bad Luck or Coincidence? Beware The Terrible Towel

One of the greatest things Sports Illustrated ever did was put all of their feature stories from every single back issue into a giant, on-line vault .  If you’re even the most marginal of sports fans, it’s a great place to find old articles about any sport, team, or city—or practically anything.

 

I bring this up because sometime over the past few weeks, I stumbled upon two fantastic old Steelers articles by their former radio analyst, the legendary Myron Cope (for the innocents out there, Cope was a successfully sportswriter with SI and various other publications before he became the Steelers radio guy in 1970).

 

Anyway, his feature about the Terrible Towel should be required reading for every Steelers fan.  Here are just a few nuggets of cool stuff about those yellow things that have been to all corners of the world and permeate at least one NFL stadium every Sunday…

 

 

1) The vice-president of WTAE radio, Ted J. Atkins, was the one who initially approached Myron about coming up with a “gimmick” for the fans, in anticipation of a repeat run to the Super Bowl (which eventually happened) in 1975.

 

2) One of the ideas tossed around had all the fans wearing black masks inscribed with coach Noll’s motto of “Whatever it takes.”  Thankfully, they talked themselves out of that one.

 

3) Cope himself pitched the Terrible Towel on the Sunday 11 o’clock news.  It made its debut, of sorts, in Dec. 1975 at Three Rivers Stadium in a playoff game against the Baltimore Colts (Pittsburgh won, of course, 28-10).

 

(By the way, the other Cope article , from 1973, has a great story about Frank Sinatra being “inducted” into Franco’s Italian Army.  There is also an all-time classic quote from Chuck Noll, who, when asked about his team’s particularly tough schedule for the upcoming season, said:  “We have an easy schedule.  We don’t have to play the Steelers.”)

 

 

Anyway, the reason I bring up all this Towel stuff is because over the past few years it has become quite chic for opposing teams to disparage the Towel in some way.  But if you look at the following three case studies, teams not from Pittsburgh should be wary of doing anything with the Towel or even mentioning it.

 

 

Case No. 1:  Short-term bad luck

 

Date:  October 11, 2009

 

Towel-related Event:   With the pesky Lions playing well at home, they have a chance to tie the Steelers, as they are set up at the 21-yard line down eight points late in the fourth quarter.  During the two-minute warning, a Lions’ “mascot” (or something equivalent) is shown on the Jumbo-tron and appears to “eat” a Terrible Towel.

 

Fallout:   Immediately following this sequence, Detroit quarterback Daunte Culpepper is sacked three times in the next three plays, all but ending the game and preserving a Pittsburgh victory.  The Lions’ offense has not scored a single point since.

 

 

Case No. 2:  Long-term bad luck

 

Date:   December 4, 2005

 

Towel-related Event:   Following the Bengals’ 38-31 victory at Heinz Field that ran their record to 9-3 and all but clinched for them the AFC North title, receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh uses the Terrible Towel to do a mock shoe-shine on his spikes.

 

Fallout:  The Bengals won the division and faced the Steelers in their first—and still only playoff game since 1990.  However, Carson Palmer suffered a horrendous knee injury early in the first quarter, and Cincy lost the game.

 

They then embarked on a three-year downward spiral, going from 11-5 in ’05 to 8-8 the next season, 7-9 in 2007, and 4-11-1 last year.  They seemed to have temporarily recovered this season, but it is way too early for a verdict. 

 

 

Case No. 3:  Complete destruction of a franchise

 

Date:   December 14, 2008

 

Towel-related Event:   Following the Titans’ 31-14 victory over the Steelers in Nashville, several Titans players (principally linebacker Keith Bulllock and running back LenDale While) “stomp” the Terrible Towel.

 

Fallout:   After the win, Tennessee had improved to 13-2 and clinched the top seed in the AFC.  They had the best record in the NFL and Super Bowl aspirations.

 

The Titans have not won a game since . 

 

They lost to Indy the following week, and lost again two weeks later at home against Baltimore in the playoffs. In 2009, they dropped their first six games, culminating in a 59-0 defeat at New England that ranks as one of the worst losses in NFL history.  Before this season is done, the Terrible Towel may possibly even claim the careers of Kerry Collins and Jeff Fisher!

 

 

Now, there are certainly other instances of teams doing their thing with the Towel—I’ll never forget what the Chargers did after their upset in the 1994 AFC Championship game—but I point out these three to show you that the Towel can hurt you in many different ways after it has been wronged.  The Chargers, of course, got waxed in the Super Bowl two weeks later.

 

So there you have it.  People can say what they want about the Terrible Towel—many Steelers players in the ‘70s initially didn’t like it, and radio host Mark Madden often calls it a glorified bar rag—but if you’re going to blatantly disrespect it, you might want to think twice.  Just ask Keith Bullock.

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Same Old Steelers, Same Old Browns…Same Old Jeff Reed

“The Cleveland Browns beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.”

 

Amazingly, that arrangement of words above has not been a true statement since Oct. 5, 2003.  That day, or I should say that night—it was a Sunday night game on ESPN—a young Tim Couch had his best game as a pro, shredding the Steelers’ secondary as the Browns won big, 33-13.

 

They have not beaten Pittsburgh since.

 

In fact, the first line of this article—which looks more and more like a misprint along the lines of “Dewey defeats Truman” or “Pittsburgh Pirates clinch NL Central”—has been true only twice in the 21st Century, and just three times since the Browns were reincarnated in 1999.  

 

Pittsburgh versus Cleveland may have once been a rivalry, but the Browns haven’t swept the season series since the days of Marty Schottenheimer, Bernie Kosar, and Ernest Byner.  That year (1988), the Browns beat Pittsburgh in Cleveland Municipal Stadium and Three Rivers Stadium, two facilities that no longer exist.

 

Someday, they’ll be saying the same thing about Eric Mangini’s coaching career.

 

In the latest edition of the “rivalry,” the punchless Brahnies were precisely inept as usual, dropping five passes and turning the ball over four times on “offense.” On the bright side, they were able to muster their first offensive touchdown since Romeo Crennel was calling the shots (and that’s only a slight exaggeration).

 

The Steelers played sloppy at times, giving the ball away twice in three plays during one 3rd quarter stretch in which the two tams played a bizzaro version of keep-away.  But it mattered not in the end, as Cleveland extended their winless streak against Pittsburgh to twelve games.

 

Many people have opined that the strength of this year’s Steelers team is the passing game, and last Sunday’s aerial display only reinforced that notion.  Ben Roethlisberger was completely in the zone, and is arguably playing as well as any quarterback in the league right now.  I know he threw a bad pick and took three sacks, but other than that he was nearly flawless.

 

Aside from the four turnovers, the offense was dominant, holding the ball for nearly 37 minutes and piling up 543 total yards.  Big Ben was able to spread the ball around to his barbershop quartet of weapons.  Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward (who’s having an incredible season thus far), Heath Miller and Mike Wallace each had at least 70 yards of offense. Ward led the way with 159 receiving yards on 8 catches.

 

This may be the most potent offense Roethlisberger has ever played with, and I’m including Natalie Gulbis.

 

The running game didn’t overwhelm anyone and the fumbles were inexcusable, but the backs were at least efficient, picking up 140 total yards spread among five players.  Willie Parker still doesn’t look right (one wonders if he ever will), but Mendenhall played well considering he missed practice time with the flu.  There was also speculation that the Browns did everything they could to stop the run, which allowed for the huge passing numbers.

 

The defense played strong again—not dominant, of course, but well enough.  They limited Cleveland to 197 yards of offense and snagged two interceptions to double their season total.  They also continued their 1st quarter supremacy and finally finished a game strong, giving up only 46 yards in the 4th quarter.

 

The Steelers as a whole played far from perfect on Sunday.  But they did win rather easily by 13 points in a game that was not as close as the final score indicated.  Good teams win these types of games at home, and while it wasn’t the blowout that we are accustomed to seeing against the Browns, it was still a convincing win. 

 

I think everyone can agree that Pittsburgh has yet to play their best game.  Better that they make their mistakes in games where they are clearly the superior team – in other words, I’d rather see Joshua Cribbs score on a kickoff return than Percy Harvin.

 

******

 

In other, more somber news, it was reported today by various media outlets that Jeff Reed, the eccentric kicker we all know and love, was arrested outside a North Shore bar, McFaddens, on Sunday night after the game.

 

Depending on who you believe, the story goes something like this:

 

Reed was out partying with Steelers tight end Matt Spaeth, who decided to relieve himself somewhere in the vicinity of a parking lot and also the public in general.  Reed pleaded with the cops to let them both go and things spiraled downward from there, ending with Reed leaving in handcuffs and likely facing his second disorderly conduct charge in the past nine months.

 

Thankfully, no towel dispensers were harmed, and yes—I’ve already heard that joke about 2,584 times today.

 

People in Pittsburgh seem generally divided on what to do about him, but one thing is certain—the guy is a very good kicker.  He has excelled here his entire career while playing in a stadium that is not kind to kickers.  He’s never missed a truly big kick and, aside from his shaky start to this season, he has been remarkably consistent.

 

He is likely regretting his decision to decline the Steelers’ contract extension offer prior to this season, but that’s a different issue altogether.  While the Steelers generally don’t like to have “bad character guys” on the squad, they do have a tendency to give players second chances (Santonio Holmes, James Harrison, even Plaxico Burress).

 

Reed is one of the longest-tenured guys on the team at this point, and he was a big part of both Super Bowl runs.  Unless his off-field troubles affect his performance on Sundays, I expect the Steelers to make every effort to bring him back.  Representatives from Sheetz, however, had no comment.

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