Steelers Today - A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

December 28, 2008
By Donald Starver

I wrote a piece on Christmas day called Steelers vs. Browns Recap (In Advance).  In that piece, I stated that the outcome of the Steelers-Browns game was so inevitable that I could write the post-game recap before the game was even played.  Well, now that the game is over, I see that I wasn’t very far off.

I predicted that the Steelers would beat the Browns 31-6.  The actual score was 31-0.  I also said that the Steelers would keep the Browns from scoring a touchdown for their sixth consecutive game.  They did.  Lastly, I said that Romeo Crennel would be fired after the game.  I believe that will happen within the next 48 hours.

Now, back to the game.

The Steelers won by a score of 31-0, but the score should have been 45-0.  The Steelers had a touchdown brought back when a flag was thrown on Limas Sweed for holding on a Steelers’ touchdown.  Another touchdown was called back when the referees incorrectly said that a Browns’ fumble that Anthony Smith returned for a touchdown was an incomplete pass.  Steelers’ head coach should have challenged the ruling on the field, but for some reason he didn’t do so.  Had he challenged the play, it would have proven to be a Steelers touchdown.  Fortunately, we didn’t need those 14 points.

Despite the two lost touchdowns, nobody can complain about a 31-0 victory.  There were a couple of positive things about the game that should be mentioned.

First, wide receiver Hines Ward surpassed 1,000 yards receiving for the fifth time in his career.  He also caught his 800th career pass during the game.  Both are Steelers records.  Not a bad day’s work.

Also on the offensive side of the ball, running back Willie Parker ran for over 100 yards for the first time in…..way too long.  The Steelers need the running game operating on all cylinders if they’re going to be effective in the playoffs.    The 176 rushing yards that the Steelers accumulated Sunday against the Browns should make them feel good going into the playoffs.  Of course, the Bengals’ Cedrick Benson rushed for 171 yards last week against the Browns, so maybe we shouldn’t take too much comfort from this.

The Steelers’ defense held the Browns to 126 yards of offense.  That’s right, 126 yards.  Total.  Now that’s some mighty fine defense.  Bruce Gradkowski passed for 18 yards on 16 attempts.  If that’s not some kind of defensive record, then I’d sure like to see what defense allowed even fewer passing yards.

Steelers’ safety Tyrone Carter, who was starting in place of Ryan Clark due to injury, recorded 2 interceptions during the game.  He ran one of those interceptions back for a touchdown.

On the negative side, Ben Roethlisberger did have to leave the game due to a concussion.  Roethlisberger was hit hard by D’Qwell Jackson and Willie McGinest.  Roethlisberger stayed on the ground for a long period of time, and was finally carried off the field on a stretcher.  As he was leaving the field, Roethlisberger gave the thumbs up sign to the crowd to let the fans know that he was okay.

Mike Tomlin had planned to play Roethlisberger in the first half, and then play Byron Leftwich in the second half.  The plan almost worked, but Roethlisberger got hurt with only 1:58 left in the half.

Some will say that Roethlisberger shouldn’t have even played during a meaningless game, but that isn’t necessarily true.  There is no definitive answer to whether a coach should rest veterans late in the season.  The Colts rested their key players 3 years ago and then lost their very first playoff game because the players were rusty.  It’s a catch-22 for coaches.  If they don’t rest their players and they get hurt, then the coach will be questioned for playing them.  If the coach rest them and they lose in the playoffs, the coach will be questioned for allowing them to get rusty rather than keeping them in playing condition.  The coach just can’t win.

Every indication is that Big Ben should be fine for the Steelers’ first playoff game.  With the bye week, he will have two weeks to recover from the concussion that he incurred.  If Ben can’t go, the Steelers can take comfort knowing that they have a veteran QB like Byron Leftwich waiting in the wings.  Leftwich is a playoff veteran, and is more than capable of leading the Steelers’ offense.

Let the playoffs begin!

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12/28/08
By Donald Starver

Today the Steelers play the Cleveland Browns in what should be a meaningless game.  However, we’ve all learned by now that Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin doesn’t allow his team to become complacent.  Not even for a meaningless game.  So Tomlin is using the goal of sweeping the AFC North as motivation to make sure that his team doesn’t have a letdown.

I’ve heard differing opinions about Coach Tomlin, but this writer really likes him.  I love the way that he makes sure the Steelers stay focused.  Can anyone even imagine Coach Tomlin allowing his team to lose on purpose?  Neither can I.  Even if the Steelers had one of the worst records in the NFL, I think Tomlin would still want to win, rather than lose intentionally to get a better draft pick.  Some would say that would be poor strategy.  Perhaps they’re right.  But I still love the fact that he wants to win, no matter what.  In my opinion, that unquenchable urge to win is a consistent trait of champions.  Michael Jordan had it.  Derek Jeter has it.  Tom Brady has it.  And Mike Tomlin has it.

Because of Tomlin’s desire to win, we will probably see Ben Roethlisberger start the game.  So will Willie Parker.  So will Hines Ward.  Tomlin will not use this as an opportunity to get Limas Sweed some catches.  Or to see what Tony Hills can do in the starting lineup.  He won’t use it as an opportunity to see what Gary Davis could do if he got 20 carries.

The one thing that’s for sure is that Tomlin will rest safety Ryan Clark who injured his shoulder during the Tennessee Titans game.  Ryan will be needed for the playoffs, so he will get some much needed rest.  But everyone else will probably play.  Even linebacker James Harrison, who injured his hip during the Titans game.  Knowing Silverback, he wouldn’t want to sit out the game even if Coach Tomlin suggested it.  Harrison would probably prefer to add to his sack total, which is already a Steelers’ record.

If the Steelers get a lead, we will probably see Byron Leftwich replace Big Ben.  But other than that, don’t expect to see anything but the Steelers fighting to win another game.

The game won’t be meaningless to the Browns either.  Their fans are already disappointed enough with their team.  They came into the season as the favorites to win the AFC North.  The NFL thought that they had so much potential that they scheduled them for at least 5 nationally televised games.  That never happens to a team that didn’t even make the playoffs the previous season.  To salvage a very disappointing season, the Browns need a win over the Steelers.

Browns head coach Romeo Crennel is definitely on the hot seat.  His team has underperformed more than any other team this year except the Dallas Cowboys.  Crennel had better start updating his resume, because he is probably going to need it if the Browns lose today.

Not only have the Browns lost when they were expected to win, but Crennel has also become known for making baffling coaching decisions.  Unusual play calls can make a coach look like a genius if they work, and if the team wins.  But when the team loses, and the plays don’t work, the coach ends up looking like an idiot.  That’s where Crennel finds himself.  Idiot is tattooed on his forehead.

Despite desparately wanting a win over the Steelers, it won’t be easy for the Browns.  They have already lost 10 games in a row to the Steelers.  Despite having many talented players on their roster, the Browns found a way to get shut out by the Cincinnati Bengals last week.  That’s right, they were shut out by the Bungles.  There is only one logical conclusion to draw from that; the Browns suck!

To make things even worse, the Browns are going to have to face the Steelers with their 4th starting quarterback of the season.  Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn are both on injured reserve (IR).  Ken Dorsey got hurt last week, and he won’t be able to go today.  So the Browns are forced to start Bruce Gradkowski, who wasn’t even on the Browns’ roster in November.

Gradkowski is a Pittsburgh native who played high school football at Seton-LaSalle.  I’m sure that as a kid growing up in Pittsburgh, he probably fantasized about being on the field with the black and gold.  But in those fantasies, he probably wasn’t playing for the Browns.  And he probably wasn’t running for his life from Steelers’ linebackers.  Gradkowski’s dream has somehow morphed into his worst nightmare.

Some of the Steelers also have something special to play for.  Wide receiver Hines Ward needs just 27 receiving yards to break 1,000 yards for the season.  This would be Ward’s fifth 1,000 yard season of his career.  Not bad for a guy who was always thought to be too small and too slow.  Take that, Troy Edwards!

Though Mike Tomlin will strive to get another Steelers’ victory today, I believe that we will see some players that we haven’t seen much of.    Why not allow Lawrence Timmons to start, and possibly even play the entire game?  Let’s see what the former #1 draft pick can do when given the opportunity.  He’s shown us glimpses already.  Why not turn him loose on the Browns.  Same thing with Limas Sweed.  Throw the kid some balls and see if he can catch or not.

One Steelers rookie who just might see some playing time today is QB Dennis Dixon.  The Steelers have had Dixon imitate Cleveland’s Joshua Cribbs during practice.  Cribbs is the Browns’ featured player when they go to their “wildcat” offense.  Dixon was apparently so effective running the offense in practice, that several Steelers defensive players requested that the Steelers use him during the game.  They said that if the Steelers’ defense couldn’t stop Dixon, the Browns’ defense won’t be able to either.

“I think we can make plays with him on offense,” inside linebacker James Farrior said of Dixon. “The man’s a great athlete”.  That’s pretty high praise coming from the Steelers’ defensive captain.

The Steelers’ offense has struggled this year, and I don’t think they should ignore any opportunity to add a spark to their offensive attack.  More importantly, this is their final opportunity to fine tune their offense before the playoffs start.

The Steelers must get their running game on track.  The Steelers, who have historically been a running team, have struggled to run the ball this year.  Even running back Willie Parker has said that the Steelers have gone away from playing “Steelers football”.  The running game is going to be vital for the Steelers in the playoffs.

Hopefully, we will see the Steelers working to impose their will on the Browns’ defensive line.  The Steelers have to find a way to get short yardage when they need it.  They haven’t been able run the ball effectively in short yardage situations for most of the year.  I’m sure that I’m not the only one who is getting tired of seeing the Steelers running game get stuffed on 3rd downs.

So, both the Steelers and the Browns have something to play for this week.  This might not be a meaningless game afterall.

Also please see our Top 10 Reasons the Browns Will Lose To The Steelers found here.

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Let’s review. The Steelers defense plays like men possessed. They dominated Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts offense. They hold them to 62 yards rushing. James Harrison adds to his sack total. Aaron Smith picks up a sack as well. The Steelers march the ball 62 yards for an easy touchdown on their very first offensive series. The Steelers’ offense maintains control of the ball for almost 10 minutes more than the Colts. Mewelde Moore rushes for 2 touchdowns.  Big Ben throws for 284 yards.  Clearly, that narrative ends with a decisive Steelers victory, right? Wrong.

In the normal universe, that game would have been an easy win for the Steelers. But in this bizarro universe that is the Steelers’ 2008 season, such performances sometimes result in losses.  Too often, the cause of those losses proves to be Ben Roethlisberger. 

In this unusual season, in which the Steelers were supposed to be overwhelmed by the NFL’s most difficult schedule, they instead find themselves with a 6-3 record. Moreover, they could easily be 8-1.  Two of the losses, the ones to the Giants and Colts, should have been wins, had it not been for the poor play of the Steelers’ $100 million quarterback.

Yesterday, Ben Roethlisberger gave up two costly interceptions.  The first, with only 1:30 remaining in the 1st half, gave the Colts great field position, and ultimately resulted in a Colts touchdown.  So instead of going into halftime leading the Colts 17-7, the Steelers found themselves only leading by 3 points, 17-14.

The second costly interception came in the middle of the 4th quarter.  With the Steelers leading 20-17, Roethlisberger threw his second interception of the game.  Four plays later, the Colts had another touchdown, and led the Steelers 24-20.  That would be the final score of the game.

It’s not fair to place the entire burden of the loss on Ben Roethlisberger’s sore shoulders.  Afterall, it was coach Tomlin who allowed him to start despite missing practice most of the week.  It was Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians who had Roethlisberger launch 42 passes with a sore shoulder.  Most of those passes were off-target or fell woefully short of the intended receiver.  I could see that as a spectator.  Why couldn’t the Steelers coaching staff see as much?

History has shown us that Big Ben is a warrior, and he is willing to play through injuries.  However, history has also shown us that Ben usually plays badly while hurt.  Does anyone remember the awful 2006 season when Roethlisberger came back too soon from a motorcycle accident and an emergency appendectomy?  Sure, it was courageous of him to try to be there for his teammates.  But after throwing his 200th interception (okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit), Coach Cowher should have benched him and let Charlie Batch play until Ben was fully recovered.  The same is true this year.  An injured Ben Roethlisberger is an ineffective Ben Roethlisberger.  When will the Steelers’ coaching staff learn that lesson?

On two separate occasions this season, Byron Leftwich has come into the game and been more effective than Big Ben.  That is not to say that Leftwich is better than Roethlisberger.  He’s not.  But Byron Leftwich at 100% is better than Ben Roethlisberger at 80%.

While Big Ben’s ego may not like the idea of being benched temporarily, it is the best decision for his long-term health.  The Steelers have invested a lot of money in their franchise quarterback.  It’s time to start protecting that investment.  And it’s time to stop losing winnable games.

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Note:  Before taking this quiz, you may want to read our Steelers-Redskins Review found here.

Okay, we know that you watched the game, but now it’s time to find out if you REALLY watched the game. Here is this week’s post-game quiz. Good luck.

1. Who recovered Andre Frazier’s blocked punt?

A. Deshea Townsend

B. Lawrence Timmons

C. Mewelde Moore

D. William Gay

2. What is backup quarterback Byron Leftwich’s jersey number?

A. 4

B. 8

C. 12

D. 13

3. What was Ben Roethlisberger’s passer rating for the game?

A. -57.0

B. 15.1

C. 49.7

D. 78.3

4. Who was the primary punt returner for the Steelers?

A. Najeh Davenport

B. Mewelde Moore

C. Hines Ward

D. Santonio Holmes

5. Attempting an on-side kick on the opening kickoff was:

A. Stupid

B. Very stupid

C. Immeasurably stupid

D. All of the above

6. Which of the following players did not participate in a sack of Jason Campbell?

A. Lawrence Timmons

B. Brett Keisel

C. Nick Eason

D. Aaron Smith

7. The Steelers’ defense held Clinton Portis to how many yards rushing?

A. 22

B. 39

C. 51

D. 74

8. What was Byron Leftwich’s passer rating for the game?

A. 63.7

B. 84.9

C. 124.6

D. 145.8

9. LaMarr Woodley vs. Jason Campbell was reminiscent of:

A. Germany vs. France

B. Joe “Turkey” Jones vs. Terry Bradshaw

C. Ike Turner vs. Tina Turner

D. All of the above

10. Who was the leading tackler for the Steelers?

A. Troy Polamalu

B. James Farrior

C. James Harrison

D. LaMarr Woodley

Answers:

1. (D) William Gay

2. (A) 4

3. (B) 15.1

4. (D) Santonio Holmes

5. (D) All of the above.

6. (B) Brett Keisel

7. (C) 51

8. (D) 145.8

9. (D) All of the above.

10. (B) James Farrrior

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Last night, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Washington Redskins 23-6 on Monday Night Football. The game was truly a tale of two teams. No, the two teams that I’m talking about aren’t the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Redskins. The two teams that I’m talking about are the Steelers Defense, and the Steelers Offense.

The Steelers Defense was dominant. Physical. Fast. Bruising. Impressive.

The Steelers Offense was docile. Futile. Schizophrenic. Baffling. Infuriating.

On defense, the Steelers held the NFL’s leading rusher to just 51 yards on 13 carries. Clinton Portis was rendered a complete non-factor in the game. Sure, he became the first opposing running back this season to break a run of more than 20 yards against the Steelers defense. However, after his 22 yard run in the 1st quarter, Portis was held to a quiet 29 yards for the rest of the game.

The Redskins came into the game with QB Jason Campbell enjoying a quiet, but efficient season. He had not thrown a single interception all season. But of course, he hadn’t faced the Steelers defense yet. The Steelers’ “D” forced 2 interceptions on Campbell. They also sacked him 7 times. One sack by LaMarr Woodley was so brutal that it reminded me of Joe “Turkey” Jones’ vicious sack of Terry Bradshaw in 1976. Woodley grabbed Campbell, and swung him around like a rag doll before body slamming him to the ground.

In every way, the Steelers’ defense dominated the Redskins offense. Even Redskins’ coach Jim Zorn had to admit as much. This was Zorn’s review of the Steelers’ defense: “Fast. Very physical…… They were the #1 defense in the NFL, and probably still are. They lived up to their billing. They’re good”.

Fans in Western Pennsylvania can feel proud when they think about the performance of the Steelers defense. They are the embodiment of the tough, hard-nosed, blue collar town that they represent.

The Steelers offense, on the other hand……… Sure, the Steelers managed to score 23 points, but was I the only one who was frustrated, and at times embarrassed, while watching the Steelers offense? Even the 6 points that the Steelers’ defense surrendered were really the fault of the Steelers’ offense.

The Steelers started the game with a completely baffling play; an on-sides kick on the opening kickoff. WTF???!!!! Of course, the Redskins recovered the kick and started their first drive in great field position. Four plays later, the Redskins were on the board with a field goal. Thanks, Coach Tomlin. Next time, avoid the temptation to smoke one of Santonio Holmes’ blunts before the game. That was a really stupid play.

The Redskins’ other field goal happened as a result of a Ben Roethlisberger interception. Four plays later, the Redskins had another field goal. Thanks Steelers’ Offense. Way to let the Defense down. Thou truly sucketh.

Before going out with a shoulder injury at half-time, Ben Roethlisberger was 5/17 passing for a total of 50 yards, with no TD’s and one interception. Yuck!

The thing that baffles me most is why the Steelers offense is so bad. I just can’t figure it out. They have weapons. They have a franchise quarterback. And contrary to popular opinion, the offensive line is not totally incompetent.

I’m not sure if the blame goes to Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians (although on this election day, Arians definitely gets my vote), or to QB Ben Roethlisberger. Perhaps the blame should be shared equally.

One thing that was very clear was that once Ben Roethlisberger went out and Byron Leftwich came in, things completely changed for the Steelers’ offense. Leftwich was cool, calm, and collected in the pocket. He led the Steelers on several nice drives, and ended up 7/10 passing for 129 yards and a touchdown. His passer rating for the game was 145.8 versus a 15.1 (that’s right, 15.1) rating for Roethlisberger.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that Ben Roethlisberger should be benched. You don’t do that to $100 million franchise quarterbacks. However, Big Ben has been battling injuries all year. Perhaps it would be wise to let him heal up a bit. Byron Leftwich is a former franchise quarterback. He can keep things afloat while Ben heals.

I am reminded of the 2006 season when Ben Roethlisberger came back too quickly from a motorcycle accident and an emergency appendectomy, and went on to have a totally horrendous season. History has shown that Ben is willing to play while hurt, even if it is to the detriment of the team. Perhaps, for the good of the team, Ben should sit out a week or two and let his body heal. Then perhaps he can come back and lead an offensive attack that is worthy of wearing the same jersey as the Steelers Defense.

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