Steelers Today - A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

As our regular readers know, we have been pretty hard on Ike Taylor at times.  It’s not that we don’t like Ike.  In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.  We love Ike.  When T.O., or Randy Moss, or Plax are in town, there is not a cornerback that we’d rather have covering them than Ike Taylor.

Unfortunately, when there is an easy interception to be had, there is nobody we’d like attempting to catch it less than Ike Taylor.  Let’s face it, Ike has hands of stone.  I know a guy who had both of his hands amputated who can catch better than Ike.

Some of you felt that we were being too hard on Ike when we wrote an article called “Catch the damn ball, Ike!!!”.  Perhaps we were a bit hard on him.  That’s why we are taking the time now to publically acknowledge Ike Taylor’s great performance this past week against Dallas.

Ike did a tremendous job of shutting down Terrell Owens (on T.O.’s birthday even) this past Sunday.  In fact, in consecutive weeks, Ike has held Randy Moss and Terrell Owens to 45 yards receiving and 32 yards receiving, respectively.  More importantly, he only allowed 1 touchdown between the two of them.  That lone touchdown only happened because the Steelers dropped both James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley into coverage on the play.  That left Tony Romo with plenty of time to finally find T.O. in the back of the endzone.  If either Silverback or Woodley had been pursuing Romo, there’s no way that touchdown happens.  But even Ike can’t cover T.O. indefinitely.

Anyone who watched the game on Sunday knows that there was one extraordinary moment that stood out above all others.  No, we’re not talking about Deshea Townsend’s game winning pick six.  Try again.  Nope, we’re not talking about Troy Polamalu’s 7th interception.  Care to take another guess?  Nope, we’re not talking about Hines Ward’s 159th consecutive game with a catch.  Guess again.  No, we’re not talking about James Harrison’s 7,000th (or at least it seems like that many) sack/forced fumble combination.  No, silly rabbits, we’re talking about Ike Taylor’s first interception of the season.  Yahoo!!!!!!!

Ike snagged his first interception of the year on a diving catch that actually had a pretty high degree of difficulty.  Any interception by Ike is cause for celebration, but a diving interception is cause for a party in “the Burgh”.  Light the fireworks!  Release the pigeons!!

We’re not going to mention the fact that Troy Polamalu has 7 interceptions.  Or that seldom-used backup safety Tyrone Carter already has an interception.  Or that linebacker LaMarr Woodley has as many picks as Ike.  Or that fellow sackmaster James Harrison also has as many picks as Ike.  Moreover, we’re not going to mention that backup linebacker Lawrence Timmons also has the same number of interceptions as Ike.  Nope, we’re not going to mention any of that.  We’re just going to let Ike have his moment in the sun.

Savor this moment.  Afterall, seeing an Ike Taylor interception is about as rare as…..well, seeing a unicorn.  There are even those who put Ike Taylor interceptions into the same mythical category as unicorns.  But this Sunday, Ike proved them wrong.  The Loch Ness Monster may not exist.  Bigfoot may be an urban legend.  but Ike Taylor interceptions really do happen.

Look what we saw on Sunday

Ike may not catch another interception before the end of the season (or the end of the decade for that matter).  But as long as he keeps running stride-for-stride with the best receivers in the league, we want him lining up for the black and gold.  In fact, we wouldn’t trade him for any other cornerback.

We all know what we get with Ike Taylor.  Ike is paid to shadow the league’s best receivers and defense passes.  Nobody expects him to intercept the ball.  An occasional interception is just icing on the cake.  Way to go, Ike!

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Before reading this week’s key match-ups, please read my Steelers-Cowboys Preview. Also, you may want to read our reports on the Steelers and Cowboys historical rivalry by clicking here.

Each week I look at the key match-ups that will most likely impact the outcome of the game. Here are this week’s key match-ups.

Steelers’ linebackers James Harrison vs. Cowboys LT Flozell Adams

Last week, James Harrison faced off against the Patriots’ Pro Bowl left tackle Matt Light. After 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and more hurries than Matt Cassel cares to remember, Harrison proved that he can more than hold his own against a Pro Bowl caliber left tackle.

This week, Silverback gets to give a repeat performance against another Pro Bowl left tackle. This time, it’s the Cowboys’ Flozell Adams. Adams presents a different challenge than Light. Light was a 6’4″ 305 lb. left tackle. He combines strength with reasonable speed. Adams, on the other hand, is more of a behemoth. He’s 6’7″ and 340 lbs. Think Orlando Pace, only heavier. In fact, a better comparison is the Steelers’ own Max Starks. Starks is 6’8″ and 345 lbs.

Since Adams dwarfs Harrison by 7 inches and 100 lbs., it is not likely that Harrison is going to be able to beat him by simply bull rushing him. Fortunately, Harrison has two key advantages that should serve him well. When blocking, leverage is everything, and Harrison’s shorter stature will actually provide him with a leverage advantage over Adams. More importantly, Harrison is significantly faster than Adams. In this situation, Harrison’s speed advantage is more important than Adams’ size advantage. Do you remember how Silverback used to destroy Max Starks in training camp? That’s pretty much what we should see this weekend. Advantage: Steelers.

Steelers’ LT Max Starks vs. Cowboys’ LB DeMarcus Ware

Like Flozell Adams, Max Starks is a massive LT whose greatest advantage is his size. There just aren’t many players who are as big as Starks. Unfortunately, the best way to neutralize humongous size is with superhuman speed. When you look up superhuman speed in the dictionary, there is a picture of DeMarcus Ware. Oh &%$*@$*!!!!!! Advantage: Cowboys.

Steelers’ CB Ike Taylor vs Cowboys’ WR Terrell Owens.

Ike Usually lines up on the opposite side of the field as T.O. does. However, since Owens is Dallas’ greatest weapon, Coach Tomlin will probably have Ike shadow T.O. wherever he goes.

Ike Taylor is one of the best cover corners in the NFL. He has the size and speed to match up with T.O. It will be an excellent test for Ike, but I believe he’s up to the task. The condition of Heinz Field should definitely work to Ike’s advantage. The field should be sloppy, and that should slow Owens down. Moreover, Ike knows Heinz Field, T.O. doesn’t.

If Ike is able to keep T.O. in check for the first half, T.O. should revert to the spoiled child that we all know him to be. He’ll start yelling at Tony Romo and basically self-destruct (dragging the Cowboys down with him). Advantage: Draw.

Steelers’ safety Troy Polamalu vs. Cowboys tight end Jason Witten

Witten is actually Tony Romo’s favorite receiver. He has even more receptions than Terrell Owens. Witten is a Pro Bowl tight end, and he is very effective. However, Troy Polamalu is……..well, Troy Polamalu. There are few players in the league who are as disruptive as Troy. There is a reason that he leads the NFL in interceptions. Advantage: Steelers.

WR’s Santontio Holmes & Hines Ward vs. Cowboys’ secondary

The Cowboys’ secondary is rather weak. There’s no other way to put it. Terence Newman was once one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, but he’s battled injuries all year. Adam “PacMan” Jones was just reinstated, so he’ll definitely be rusty. The Cowboys only have 6 interceptions this season. That’s the same number that Troy Polamalu has by himself. If the offensive line give Ben Roethlisberger a little time, he should be able to pick this secondary apart. Advantage: Steelers.

“Good Ben” vs. “Bad Ben”

This is probably the match-up that is going to have the greatest impact on the game. “Good Ben” is the accurate game manager who doesn’t try to win the game by himself, avoids turnovers, and maintains a high passer rating. Think Ben of 2007.

“Bad Ben” is the Ben that holds onto the ball way too long, takes unnecessary sacks, throws silly interceptions, and is very inaccurate in his delivery. Think Ben of 2006.

This year has been a mixed bag for Big Ben. We’ve seen both “Good Ben” and “Bad Ben”. Unfortunately, we’ve probably seen “Bad Ben” more often than “Good Ben”. I know that Ben has battled a shoulder injury, but as long as Tomlin chooses to start him, I expect him to be able to perform.

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that every time Nate Washington has 2-3 steps on his defender, Ben under-throws the ball and totally neutralizes Nate’s advantage? Can you even remember one time this year when Ben over-threw the receiver on a long route? Me neither. Ben has just about the same number of interceptions (12) as touchdown passes (13). That’s definitely “Bad Ben”. By comparison, Tony Romo has 21 TD passes and only 8 interceptions this year.

Each week, we’ve basically seen the same thing; the defense dominates, while the offense fails to distinguish itself. So far that’s worked. Afterall, the Steelers are 9-3. But I don’t know if the Steelers can reach their ultimate goal with that formula. This week, just like every week, the most important struggle is going to be an internal struggle; “Good Ben” vs. “Bad Ben”. If “Good Ben” shows up, the Steelers can beat any team in the league. But if “Bad Ben” shows up, then the Cowboys may pull out a win this weekend. Advantage: TBD

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Before reading this week’s key match-ups, please read my Steelers-Patriots Preview.  Also, you may want to read our reports on Patriots’ QB Matt Cassel and Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick.

This week, the Steelers will face their perennial AFC rivals the New England Patriots. Anytime you are discussing AFC supremacy, these two teams are likely to be included in the conversation.

Both teams need a win this weekend to stay in the race for division titles.  The Steelers are one game ahead of the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North, but the Ravens play the Cincinnati Bengals this weekend, and will probably get a win.  Meanwhile, the Patriots are one game behind the New York Jets in the AFC East.  They need a win to stay within striking distance of the Jets.

These are the match-ups that I believe will have the highest likelihood of impacting the outcome of the game.

Steelers’ linebackers James Harrison & LaMarr Woodley vs. Patriots’ QB Matt Cassel

We all know that Matt Cassel has been a more than adequate replacement for Tom Brady.  However, Cassel has really not faced many above average defenses.  The toughest defense that he’s faced this year is the Indianapolis Colts, and he lost that game.  The Steelers’s defense is much better than the Colts.

Cassel had proven to be susceptible to pressure.  He’s been sacked even more often than Ben Roethlisberger has this year (and I didn’t think that was possible).  That has got to have Steelers’ linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley watering at the mouth.  Each is among the NFL’s leaders in sacks, and they have a friendly competition going against one another.  They’ll both be looking forward to adding to their sack count against Matt Cassel.  Advantage: Steelers.

CB Ike Taylor vs WR Randy Moss.

Despite his hands of stone, Ike Taylor is one of the best cover corners in the NFL.  He has the size and speed to guard even the biggest and fastest receivers.  He’ll need every ounce of his size and speed this week when he faces Randy Moss.  Moss epitomizes the tall, fast receiver.  If there is a receiver in the NFL who is more dangerous than Randy Moss, I don’t know who he is.  After a terrible stint with the Raiders, Moss has been reborn with the Patriots.  This may be the best match-up of the game. Advantage: Patriots

Steelers’ defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau vs. Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick

One of the best match-ups of the game won’t even take place on the field.  Instead, it will take place along the sidelines as Steelers’ defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau matches wits with Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick.  Belichick has owned the Steelers since he became head coach of the Patriots.  Some would argue that his success is due to his cheating, but that’s a discussion for another time.

Belichick runs a complicated 3-4 defensive scheme, so he is not as unfamiliar with what LeBeau does as many opponents are.  Belichick always develops game plans that are perfectly crafted to beat the Steelers.  Against any other foe, Dick LeBeau would have the advantage, but against the mad scientist Bill Belichick, well……… Advantage: Patriots.

WR Santontio Holmes vs. Patriots’ CB Deltha O’Neal

Deltha O’Neal couldn’t guard the Steelers’ receivers when he was a young cornerback playing for the Cincinnati Bengals.  He certainly can’t contain them as a 75 year old cornerback for the Patriots.  Unless Holmes breaks his leg during the game, he should burn O’Neal like firewood.  Advantage: Steelers.

DE Travis Kirschke vs. G Logan Mankins

It’s not often that Travis Kirschke’s name is mentioned as a key match-up.  However, this week he will play a pivotal role in the game.  Starter Brett Keisel is out with an injury, and Kirschke will be called upon to fill in for him.  Kirschke must hold stout against the run in order for the Steelers to contain the Patriots offense.  Kirschke, along with backup defensive ends Nick Eason and Orpheus Roye, have played surprisingly well each time they’ve been called upon this season.  Advantage: Neither.

Steelers’C Justin Hartwig vs. Patriots’ NT Vince Wilfork

Justin Hartwig was brought in to handle the big AFC nose tackles who seemed to overpower Sean Mahan last year.  Hartwig has held his own so far, but he will receive a good test from Patriots’ nose tackle Vince Wilfork.  Wilfork is a former 1st round draft pick, and at 6’2″ 325 lbs, he is built very similar to Steelers’ NT Casey Hampton.  He is short for his size, which allows him to get under his blockers and use incredible leverage to collapse the line of scrimmage.

Hartwig has held his own against Browns’ NT Shawn Rogers and Chargers’ NT Jamal Williams, two of the best in the game.  Moreover, he practices everyday against Steelers’ NT Casey Hampton, so he should should be well prepared for his battle with Wilfork.  Advantage: Neither.

Overall, I anticipate that the Steelers’ defense will contain the Patriots’ offense, while the Steelers’ offense overwhelms the Patriots’ defense.  Final score prediction: Steelers 24, Patriots 14.

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You may also want to check out our Top 10 Reasons Pittsburgh Is Better Than Cincinnati, and our Steelers vs. Bengals Key Match-ups.

This Thursday at 8:15 PM, the Cincinnati Bengals come to Heinz Field to face the Steelers. The game will be aired on NFL Network.

It would be easy for the Steelers (7-3) to become complacent going into a game against the Bengals (1-8-1). Afterall, the two teams sit at opposite ends of the AFC North standings. The Steelers are in first place, and the Bengals are in last place (sound familiar?).

The Bengals’ offense is ranked #32 in the NFL (that’s last, for those of you who aren’t aware). They average a mere 158.9 yards per game passing, and an even more meager 83.7 rushing yards per game.

The Bengals’ rushing attack (if you can call it that) is led by Cedrick Benson (yes, Cedrick Benson. Stop laughing!), the NFL’s 50th ranked running back. Benson is averaging 47.2 yards/game (Bwahahaha!!!!!). Benson will be going up against the Steelers’ #1 ranked defense. They’re #1 against the pass, and #1 against the run (I like the way that sounds). Given the difficulty that REAL running backs like Clinton Portis, LaDainian Tomlinson, Fred Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew, Brian Westbrook, and Brandon Jacobs had trying to run against the Steelers, Cedrick Benson is probably in for a long and painful night on Thursday. Benson should be scrambling to get a doctor’s excuse or a note from his mom before Thursday.

The Bengals’ passing game is led by quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. His 71.3 passer rating ranks #30 in the NFL, right behind JaMarcus Russell and Tyler Thigpen, and just ahead of Dan Orlovsky. That is not the type of company that any quarterback wants to be in. Fitzpatrick has connected with loud-mouthed wide receiver Chad Johnson 41 times this season for a total of 383 yards. That’s 10 yards less than Steelers’ #3 receiver Nate Washington has accumulated. The self-proclaimed “future hall of famer” has an unimpressive 4 touchdowns this season. Johnson has never had much success against Steelers’ cornerback Ike Taylor. That shouldn’t change this week.

The Bengals’ defense is just slightly more intimidating than their offense. They give up an average of 24.9 points per game. That puts a lot of pressure on their offense.

The Bengals have difficulty putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. That should be welcome news to Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Bengals’ defense has a total of only 11 sacks this season. That’s one fewer than Steelers’ linebacker James Harrison has accumulated. In fact, the Bengals sack leader, DE Robert Geathers, has 1.5 fewer sacks than Steelers backup linebacker Lawrence Timmons.

But before Steelers fans get too excited, we should note that Cincinnati played the Philadelphia Eagles to a 13-13 tie last week (yes Donovan, there are ties in the NFL). That’s the same Eagles team that beat the Steelers like a drum earlier this year. Moreover, the Bengals have beaten the Steelers at Heinz Field as recently as 2006. So the Steelers have to be diligent not to allow this to become a “trap” game. As they say, “on any given Sunday”.

Yeah right. Who am I kidding? The Bengals don’t have a chance in this game. I predict the Steelers will win big. Final score: Steelers 32, Bengals 10.

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In the Steelers’ game against the Colts, Ike Taylor had two opportunities to defend (and perhaps even intercept) passes, that unfortunately were instead tipped and caught by opposing receivers. If Taylor had been able to intercept one or both of those passes, the results of the game would have probably been very different.

But of course, Ike didn’t intercept the passes. Ike seldom intercepts passes. Heck, if I had a dollar for every potential interception that Ike Taylor has dropped, I’d be a rich man.

That is why I am officially introducing a new term into the Steelers lexicon. My new word is “ike”. No, not the name Ike. This “ike” is a verb. It means “to drop a catchable pass”. Here is the word used in a sentence; “Tony Romo was disappointed when a wide open Terrell Owens iked his pass”. Here is another example, “Big Ben thought about throwing Dallas Baker the ball, but he hesitated because he thought Baker would ike the ball”. See how it works? “Ike” is a new verb.

Some will argue that I am being unnecessarily mean to Ike Taylor. They will argue that Ike Taylor is the Steelers’ best cornerback. They will tell of how he is often called upon to shadow the opposing team’s best receiver. I’ve even heard some Steelers fans say that he is one of the best shut down corners in the NFL. I tend to disagree.

I do agree that Ike Taylor has exceptional physical tools. At 6’2″, he is a “big” cornerback. Moreover, he is fast enough to run with just about any receiver in the league. Those are great credentials for any aspiring cornerback.

Despite Ike’s impressive physical talents, I don’t think he is an elite cornerback. I sat down and listed the players that I considered to be the top cornerbacks in the NFL. Ike Taylor didn’t make my top 10. In fact, he barely made my top 20.

The players who immediately came to mind when I thought of the league’s best cornerbacks were people like (in no particular order) Champ Bailey, Dre Bly, Nate Clements, Asante Samuel, Lito Sheppard, Rashean Mathis, Marcus Trufant, Ronde Barber and Chris McAlister. All are smaller (and probably slower) than Ike Taylor, but all are undoubtedly better than Ike.

Even among the Steelers’ cornerbacks, Ike Taylor may not be the best. Before he got hurt, Bryant McFadden was establishing himself as the Steelers’ best cornerback. And DeShea Townsend has always made up for his limited physical tools by being a heady player who rarely makes mistakes.

Bryant McFadden has played in about half as many games as Ike Taylor, yet he has the same number of career interceptions. Ike Taylor averages the lowest number of interceptions per game among the Steelers’ 3 key cornerbacks. This is particularly disappointing because Taylor averages the highest number of passes defensed per game. That means that he has more opportunities to make interceptions. However, when you look at his ratio of interceptions to passes defensed, Taylor’s ratio is less than half that of either Bryant McFadden or DeShea Townsend. Both Townsend and McFadden will make approximately one interception for each 4 passes defensed. Taylor, on the other hand, intercepts one pass out of every 10 passes defensed.

When we look below at my list of the league’s best cornerbacks, we see that Ike Taylor’s career average for interceptions per game is the lowest on the list.

Player/Interceptions per game
Asante Samuel/.30
Champ Bailey/.29
Rashean Mathis/.28
Ty Law/.28
Dre Bly/.26
Nate Clements/.23
Lito Sheppard/.21
Ronde Barber/.19
Chris McAlister/.19
Marcus Trufant/.18
Ike Taylor/.08

His career average of .08 interceptions per game is less than half that of the next lowest cornerback on my list (Marcus Trufant averages .18 interceptions per game). Champ Bailey and Asante Samuel both average almost .30 interceptions per game.

I believe that most fans would agree about what separates good cornerbacks from great cornerbacks. Good cornerbacks block the pass. Great cornerbacks intercept the pass.

Player/career interceptions

Ty Law/52
Champ Bailey/43
Dre Bly/38
Ronde Barber/33
Nate Clements/28
Chris McAlister/26
Asante Samuel/25
Rashean Mathis/24
Lito Sheppard/18
Marcus Trufant/16
Ike Taylor/7

Someone once said that “if defensive backs could catch, they’d be wide receivers”. This is probably true. With Ike’s size and speed, I’m sure that at some point in his football career, a coach has tried to turn him into a wide receiver. But that experiment probably didn’t last very long.

To be fair, interceptions are not the only measure of a cornerback. Ike Taylor averages more passes defensed per game than every cornerback on my top CB list except for Asante Samuel and Marcus Trufant.

Passes defensed/game
Asante Samuel/.90
Marcus Trufant/.89
Ike Taylor/.79
Rashean Mathis/.69
Chris McAlister/.66
Nate Clements/.64
Lito Sheppard/.63
Champ Bailey/.62
Dre Bly/.60
Ronde Barber/.52

That means he is tough to throw against. Very tough. He is also a very good tackler. However, if he were able to increase his interception rate to anything close to the league average, I believe he could be a Pro Bowl cornerback. Moreover, he could have a game changing impact on a Steelers defense that is already one of the best in the league.

During training camp this summer, it was reported that Ike Taylor was working out with the wide receivers. The media mentioned that story once or twice. If the Steelers’ receivers were honest, they’d probably admit that they kicked Taylor out of their practices because they got tired of watching him ike the ball.

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