With February here, the post-Super Bowl frenzy is getting set to begin for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
What is the post-Super Bowl frenzy, you may ask?
Feb. 7 the period begins where teams can name their franchise and transition players. The deadline for doing so is Feb. 21.
Also, the NFL combine will be held in February this year in Indianapolis, from the 20 through the 26.
Yep, it’s a big month all right.
The Steelers have not yet re-opened serious negotiations with Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca, but will do so after the Super Bowl as they make one last-ditch effort to sign him to a contract before he reaches free agency.
The chances of something being worked out before free agency begins aren’t great, but they also aren’t dead, either.
Faneca would like to remain in Pittsburgh, but unless the Steelers are willing to give him what he feels is market value, that’s not going to happen.
And given that the market value is far more than the Steelers have ever before paid a lineman – let alone one on the wrong side of 30 – the team has begun its preparations for life without Faneca.
Because of that, you can expect much of the team’s focus at the combine later this month to be on the linemen available. Heck, even if Faneca does return, the Steelers want to beef up their offensive line.
And given what happened with the market for guards during free agency last year – where even run-of-the-mill guys were getting upwards of $40-million, don’t expect the Steelers to dive into that pool either.
If you’re not going to give Faneca $50 million, then it would be silly to pony up the $35 or $40 million it would likely take to sign a young, unproven player such as Cincinnati’s Stacy Andrews.
Given what other guards got on the open market last year, that’s likely what a player like Andrews will want.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Steelers to sign QB
After bringing him in for a workout last week, the Steelers are going to sign former Boise State QB Jared Zebransky to compete for their No. 3 spot.
Zebransky is expected to compete with Brian St. Pierre and a young quarterback the Steelers acquire through the draft or as a rookie free agent for the backup spot to Ben Roethlisberger and Charlie Batch.
Zebransky is expected to compete with Brian St. Pierre and a young quarterback the Steelers acquire through the draft or as a rookie free agent for the backup spot to Ben Roethlisberger and Charlie Batch.
Friday, January 25, 2008
South Alabama sniffing around Mitchell
South Alabama is reportedly interested in interviewing Steelers assistant head coach/D-line coach John Mitchell for their vacant coaching position. Mitchell is in Mobile for the Senior Bowl.
If this turns out to be the case, the Steelers could lose Mitchell, a key member of their coaching staff.
For years, Mitchell has turned low-round draft picks into solid players and he knows exactly what the Steelers need their defensive linemen to do in Pittsburgh's 3-4.
The school is located in Mobile and Mitchell is a Mobile native.
If this turns out to be the case, the Steelers could lose Mitchell, a key member of their coaching staff.
For years, Mitchell has turned low-round draft picks into solid players and he knows exactly what the Steelers need their defensive linemen to do in Pittsburgh's 3-4.
The school is located in Mobile and Mitchell is a Mobile native.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Money matters
When asked about Tony Romo’s contract extension in the days after the Dallas quarterback signed his new deal, all Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said was, “Interesting.”
Roethlisberger wasn’t saying much about Romo’s contract, but the sly smile and look he gave me when I asked him about it said it all: He knows he’s about to take the step from being rich to very rich.
For all the hype surrounding Romo, Roethlisberger has several things that Romo does not, namely a Super Bowl ring and several playoff victories. Those are some pretty important credentials that Roethlisberger has and Romo does not.
So when the Steelers start negotiations with Roethlisberger, it’s very likely the two parties will start with Romo’s six-year, $67.5-million deal and work up from there.
That deal included $30 million in guaranteed money, something the Steelers have been slow to include in their contracts, but something that is now a part of doing business in today’s NFL.
There are those who think Roethlisberger may be inclined to give the Steelers the home-town discount since he’s also come forward with a laundry list of things he’d like to see this offseason – namely a tall wide receiver and the retention of guard Alan Faneca.
But the hometown bargains that have been cited really aren’t.
Tom Brady’s contract – the one most often talked about – was a six-year, $60-million contract with New England that included a $14.5-million signing bonus.
That deal was only considered a bargain because Peyton Manning had just signed a nine-year, $99.2-million deal – with a $35.4-million bonus – with Indianapolis, and Atlanta had gone crazy and given Michael Vick a 10-year, $130-million deal with a $37-million signing bonus.
In the grand scheme of things, Manning’s deal now seems like a bargain price, while Vick’s seems as crazy now as it did then.
It would seem the going rate for a star-caliber NFL quarterback starts at a little over $10 million per year on average and goes from there.
And that’s what Roethlisberger will want and get.
Roethlisberger wasn’t saying much about Romo’s contract, but the sly smile and look he gave me when I asked him about it said it all: He knows he’s about to take the step from being rich to very rich.
For all the hype surrounding Romo, Roethlisberger has several things that Romo does not, namely a Super Bowl ring and several playoff victories. Those are some pretty important credentials that Roethlisberger has and Romo does not.
So when the Steelers start negotiations with Roethlisberger, it’s very likely the two parties will start with Romo’s six-year, $67.5-million deal and work up from there.
That deal included $30 million in guaranteed money, something the Steelers have been slow to include in their contracts, but something that is now a part of doing business in today’s NFL.
There are those who think Roethlisberger may be inclined to give the Steelers the home-town discount since he’s also come forward with a laundry list of things he’d like to see this offseason – namely a tall wide receiver and the retention of guard Alan Faneca.
But the hometown bargains that have been cited really aren’t.
Tom Brady’s contract – the one most often talked about – was a six-year, $60-million contract with New England that included a $14.5-million signing bonus.
That deal was only considered a bargain because Peyton Manning had just signed a nine-year, $99.2-million deal – with a $35.4-million bonus – with Indianapolis, and Atlanta had gone crazy and given Michael Vick a 10-year, $130-million deal with a $37-million signing bonus.
In the grand scheme of things, Manning’s deal now seems like a bargain price, while Vick’s seems as crazy now as it did then.
It would seem the going rate for a star-caliber NFL quarterback starts at a little over $10 million per year on average and goes from there.
And that’s what Roethlisberger will want and get.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Dawson shafted
That Dermontti Dawson did not make the cut as on of the 17 finalists for the Peo Football Hall of Fame this year shows what a flawed process hall of fame voting in the NFL really is.
As it currently stands, just one person in each NFL city and a handful of "at-large" voters make up the panel that chooses who gets in and who doesn't. The final number of voters is 40.
And knowing a number of the voters – they are mostly writers for the large metros – they come with their own biases.
But how Dawson is being overlooked is beyond me.
The guy was the dominant center of his time. He played in playoff games. He played in Super Bowls. He was a Pro Bowl player and made the All-Pro team.
He was also everything that is right about professional athletes.
At the Steelers' 75th Anniversary celebration, I was standing in the hall waiting go in and interview the members of the team. I hadn't seen Dawson in five or six years – since his retirement.
But as he was walking by, he stopped, shook my hand and, with his trademark smile, asked how I had been. Dermontti Dawson was not only a great player, he's an even better human being.
Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame vote is a sham. It enlists hundreds of voters. But the NFL's vote is too small.
Forty people should not be deciding who should get in and who shouldn't. In fact, living members of the hall should have a vote.
As it currently stands, just one person in each NFL city and a handful of "at-large" voters make up the panel that chooses who gets in and who doesn't. The final number of voters is 40.
And knowing a number of the voters – they are mostly writers for the large metros – they come with their own biases.
But how Dawson is being overlooked is beyond me.
The guy was the dominant center of his time. He played in playoff games. He played in Super Bowls. He was a Pro Bowl player and made the All-Pro team.
He was also everything that is right about professional athletes.
At the Steelers' 75th Anniversary celebration, I was standing in the hall waiting go in and interview the members of the team. I hadn't seen Dawson in five or six years – since his retirement.
But as he was walking by, he stopped, shook my hand and, with his trademark smile, asked how I had been. Dermontti Dawson was not only a great player, he's an even better human being.
Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame vote is a sham. It enlists hundreds of voters. But the NFL's vote is too small.
Forty people should not be deciding who should get in and who shouldn't. In fact, living members of the hall should have a vote.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Anybody notice
Did anybody notice that the grass surface at Lambeau Field is now DD Grassmaster, the same stuff that is used at Heinz Field?
Somehow, it held up well during a game in a snowstorm Saturday when the Packers downed the Seahawks in the playoffs.
Perhaps the biggest problem with the turf in Pittsburgh is not the surface itself, but some other factor – such as the surface's proximity to the rivers or incompetence by the field workers.
I'm just saying.
Somehow, it held up well during a game in a snowstorm Saturday when the Packers downed the Seahawks in the playoffs.
Perhaps the biggest problem with the turf in Pittsburgh is not the surface itself, but some other factor – such as the surface's proximity to the rivers or incompetence by the field workers.
I'm just saying.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Locking up offseason rosters
The Pittsburgh Steelers signed eight players to its Reserve/Future Roster, the team announced.
The Steelers signed wide receiver Dallas Baker, wide receiver Jeremy Bloom, offensive guard Matt Lentz, safety Mike Lorello, linebacker Anthony Trucks, running back Justin Vincent and wide receiver Gerran Walker to contracts. Each player spent part or all of the 2007 season on Pittsburgh’s practice squad.
Tight end Cody Boyd, who was with the Steelers throughout 2007 training camp, also signed a reserve/future contract. After training camp, Boyd was signed to the Washington Redskins’ 53-man roster and spent the entire 2007 season on their active roster or practice squad.
The Steelers signed wide receiver Dallas Baker, wide receiver Jeremy Bloom, offensive guard Matt Lentz, safety Mike Lorello, linebacker Anthony Trucks, running back Justin Vincent and wide receiver Gerran Walker to contracts. Each player spent part or all of the 2007 season on Pittsburgh’s practice squad.
Tight end Cody Boyd, who was with the Steelers throughout 2007 training camp, also signed a reserve/future contract. After training camp, Boyd was signed to the Washington Redskins’ 53-man roster and spent the entire 2007 season on their active roster or practice squad.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
What we learned: Jacksonville (again)
Saturday night’s playoff loss by the Pittsburgh Steelers was a microcosm of the team’s season.
They gave up a long kickoff return, failed to get anything out of their own return game, couldn’t run the ball to ice the clock, and the defense failed to stop the Jaguars late in the game with everything on the line.
Yep, that’s the 2007 Steelers in a nutshell.
But there’s nothing wrong with this team a few offseason moves can’t fix.
The Steelers don’t need a total overhaul on their offensive line, they just need to make a move or two there – starting with getting Sean Mahan out of the starting lineup.
Mahan is a good guy to have around on game days because he can play some center and guard. But he proved this season he’s not somebody to be counted on in a game-in, game-out basis.
The Steelers can fix that problem, however, by sliding Kendall Simmons – who played some very good football in the second half of this season – to center, moving Willie Colon to guard and re-signing Max Starks to play right tackle.
The fact that the coaching staff didn’t make that move during the season may be its biggest mistake of 2007, one Tomlin likely will learn from.
Even when Jacksonville lost defensive tackle John Henderson early in the first quarter of the game, Mahan wasn’t even what would pass for adequate, getting pushed around by Grady Jackson and Rob Meier. That kind of stuff can’t happen.
© Mike Tomlin went to that little card that all coaches seem to use when deciding to go for a two-point conversion down 28-23 with 10:25 left in the game.
In most cases, the little card is right that the two-point conversion to try to cut the lead to three points. But in this case, it wasn’t.
And it really wasn’t the right move after Mahan’s holding penalty – an iffy one – pushed the ball back to the 12 and negated a Ben Roethlisberger to Hines Ward conversion pass.
“Playing the charts, that is just baseball,” said Tomlin. “Everybody has that chart.”
But all season long, Tomlin talked about going with his gut feeling on decisions. In this case, his gut should have told him that kick from the 12 was the right play.
The Steelers clearly had the momentum at that point and Jacksonville still hadn’t topped 200 yards of total offense.
There was no reason to think that the Steelers wouldn’t come down and score another touchdown – which they did – and trying to score from the 12 just wasn’t the right call to make at that point.
Had the Steelers kicked there, they wouldn’t have needed to go for two after their next touchdown. They would have been up three points just by kicking the PAT.
“If I had a crystal ball and I knew we were going to lose by two, I probably would have kicked the extra point,” said Tomlin.
© The coaching staff’s other blunder in this game was Pittsburgh’s next-to-last offensive series.
There was nothing wrong with the two runs by Najeh Davenport, even though they netted just four yards.
But the third-down keeper by Roethlisberger was a real clunker.
Jacksonville called timeout after the second-down run and the QB sweep was what the Steelers came up with.
“There was, particularly on the third-down play,” said Tomlin when asked if throwing the ball was discussed on that possession. “That was something we worked on all week and we felt good about it. We actually had the look and we didn’t execute it. Good job by them.”
© Let’s see, LaMarr Woodley had three tackles, two sacks and three quarterback hurries splitting time mostly with Clark Haggans. Haggans, meanwhile, had one tackle.
Perhaps inserting Woodley into this defense and getting a healthy Aaron Smith back is all this defense needs to be special again.
© Both Troy Polamalu and Hines Ward talked about how losing Faneca would be detrimental to this team.
The Steelers will make a strong effort to keep Faneca, who was tearing up when talking about the possibility of this being his last game in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers have about a month to get something done before the end of the playoffs. Look for them to try hard to make it happen.
No matter how you look at it, Tomlin's first season with the Steelers has to be seen as a success.
This team went 10-6 and won the AFC North despite being flawed.
And it doesn't need a total overhaul to be back in a similar position next season.
They gave up a long kickoff return, failed to get anything out of their own return game, couldn’t run the ball to ice the clock, and the defense failed to stop the Jaguars late in the game with everything on the line.
Yep, that’s the 2007 Steelers in a nutshell.
But there’s nothing wrong with this team a few offseason moves can’t fix.
The Steelers don’t need a total overhaul on their offensive line, they just need to make a move or two there – starting with getting Sean Mahan out of the starting lineup.
Mahan is a good guy to have around on game days because he can play some center and guard. But he proved this season he’s not somebody to be counted on in a game-in, game-out basis.
The Steelers can fix that problem, however, by sliding Kendall Simmons – who played some very good football in the second half of this season – to center, moving Willie Colon to guard and re-signing Max Starks to play right tackle.
The fact that the coaching staff didn’t make that move during the season may be its biggest mistake of 2007, one Tomlin likely will learn from.
Even when Jacksonville lost defensive tackle John Henderson early in the first quarter of the game, Mahan wasn’t even what would pass for adequate, getting pushed around by Grady Jackson and Rob Meier. That kind of stuff can’t happen.
© Mike Tomlin went to that little card that all coaches seem to use when deciding to go for a two-point conversion down 28-23 with 10:25 left in the game.
In most cases, the little card is right that the two-point conversion to try to cut the lead to three points. But in this case, it wasn’t.
And it really wasn’t the right move after Mahan’s holding penalty – an iffy one – pushed the ball back to the 12 and negated a Ben Roethlisberger to Hines Ward conversion pass.
“Playing the charts, that is just baseball,” said Tomlin. “Everybody has that chart.”
But all season long, Tomlin talked about going with his gut feeling on decisions. In this case, his gut should have told him that kick from the 12 was the right play.
The Steelers clearly had the momentum at that point and Jacksonville still hadn’t topped 200 yards of total offense.
There was no reason to think that the Steelers wouldn’t come down and score another touchdown – which they did – and trying to score from the 12 just wasn’t the right call to make at that point.
Had the Steelers kicked there, they wouldn’t have needed to go for two after their next touchdown. They would have been up three points just by kicking the PAT.
“If I had a crystal ball and I knew we were going to lose by two, I probably would have kicked the extra point,” said Tomlin.
© The coaching staff’s other blunder in this game was Pittsburgh’s next-to-last offensive series.
There was nothing wrong with the two runs by Najeh Davenport, even though they netted just four yards.
But the third-down keeper by Roethlisberger was a real clunker.
Jacksonville called timeout after the second-down run and the QB sweep was what the Steelers came up with.
“There was, particularly on the third-down play,” said Tomlin when asked if throwing the ball was discussed on that possession. “That was something we worked on all week and we felt good about it. We actually had the look and we didn’t execute it. Good job by them.”
© Let’s see, LaMarr Woodley had three tackles, two sacks and three quarterback hurries splitting time mostly with Clark Haggans. Haggans, meanwhile, had one tackle.
Perhaps inserting Woodley into this defense and getting a healthy Aaron Smith back is all this defense needs to be special again.
© Both Troy Polamalu and Hines Ward talked about how losing Faneca would be detrimental to this team.
The Steelers will make a strong effort to keep Faneca, who was tearing up when talking about the possibility of this being his last game in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers have about a month to get something done before the end of the playoffs. Look for them to try hard to make it happen.
No matter how you look at it, Tomlin's first season with the Steelers has to be seen as a success.
This team went 10-6 and won the AFC North despite being flawed.
And it doesn't need a total overhaul to be back in a similar position next season.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Some random thoughts
Troy Polamalu practiced Friday and will play in Saturday's playoff game against the Jaguars.
© I've gone back and forth on my pick in this game this week, but have settled on the Steelers, 27-24.
Jacksonville played a near-perfect game the last time, while the Steelers played anything but.
And Pittsburgh will come out throwing this time around.
© The Steelers will bulk up to stop the run in this game. Look for backup nose tackle Chris Hoke to see some time at defensive end.
© An AP story this week ws all about how this could be Alan Faneca's last game with the Steelers.
But there are some rumblings now that the Steelers will try everything possible not to let that happen.
Dan Rooney always regretted letting Rod Woodson go after the 1996 season and won't make the same mistake with an icon like Faneca.
Faneca is 31, but is still playing at a reasonably high level. Plus, there's always the possibility they could move him to center later in his career if he starts losing some of the one-on-one matchups on a regular basis. Because of that, it's possible he could play into his late 30s.
Look for the team to also make a strong pitch at keeping Max Starks as well.
This offensive line has been bad this season, but much of it has been a problem at center, where Sean Mahan just hasn't worked out.
The Steelers could go into 2008 with a line of Marvel Smith at left tackle, Faneca or Kendall Simmons at left guard, Faneca or Simmons – likely Simmons – at center, Willie Colon or Chris Kemoeatu at right guard and Starks at right tackle. They would then also take a young tackle in the first couple of rounds of the draft.
This is assuming the team gets good news about Smith's long-term health.
By making those two signings, the Steelers would avoid having to select offensive linemen in the first two rounds of the 2008 draft like they did with the linebacker position in 2007.
© I've gone back and forth on my pick in this game this week, but have settled on the Steelers, 27-24.
Jacksonville played a near-perfect game the last time, while the Steelers played anything but.
And Pittsburgh will come out throwing this time around.
© The Steelers will bulk up to stop the run in this game. Look for backup nose tackle Chris Hoke to see some time at defensive end.
© An AP story this week ws all about how this could be Alan Faneca's last game with the Steelers.
But there are some rumblings now that the Steelers will try everything possible not to let that happen.
Dan Rooney always regretted letting Rod Woodson go after the 1996 season and won't make the same mistake with an icon like Faneca.
Faneca is 31, but is still playing at a reasonably high level. Plus, there's always the possibility they could move him to center later in his career if he starts losing some of the one-on-one matchups on a regular basis. Because of that, it's possible he could play into his late 30s.
Look for the team to also make a strong pitch at keeping Max Starks as well.
This offensive line has been bad this season, but much of it has been a problem at center, where Sean Mahan just hasn't worked out.
The Steelers could go into 2008 with a line of Marvel Smith at left tackle, Faneca or Kendall Simmons at left guard, Faneca or Simmons – likely Simmons – at center, Willie Colon or Chris Kemoeatu at right guard and Starks at right tackle. They would then also take a young tackle in the first couple of rounds of the draft.
This is assuming the team gets good news about Smith's long-term health.
By making those two signings, the Steelers would avoid having to select offensive linemen in the first two rounds of the 2008 draft like they did with the linebacker position in 2007.
Monday, December 31, 2007
What we learned: Baltimore (again)
It used to be I felt I always had a pretty good finger on the pulse of what was going on with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This year’s team, however, has me a bit perplexed. Whereas in the past, you could count on the Steelers to put forth a solid effort in games like the one they had Sunday – meaningless in every way except for pride – now, even that is not guaranteed.
The Steelers laid down like dogs against the Ravens Sunday.
In fact, the guys who actually took the field looked like players attempting to get through the game without getting hurt.
There were some notable exceptions. James Harrison played hard as usual, as did Tyrone Carter and some others. But generally, the Steelers looked like they were going through the motions in this one.
Heck, nose tackle Casey Hampton got caught offsides, one two occasions, despite the fact he lines up directly over the ball.
I know Baltimore rookie QB Troy Smith is a cagey guy, but you can’t tell me that he’s already learned the nuances of changing his cadence to draw players offsides.
And the tackling, as it has been the past month and a half, was atrocius once again.
This team has all the looks of a team that is just happy to make the playoffs, one that will be one-and-done in the postseason.
© I think we need to put out and APB on that player who torched Penn State a few years ago in a bowl game for Florida State.
He’s either gone missing, or that was somebody else in Willie Reid’s uniform that day.
Reid looks like a bust as a return man and he doesn’t offer enough as a wide receiver to warrant a roster spot as a wide receiver. It looks like a wasted third-round draft pick.
© The Steelers didn’t get much of a chance to learn a whole lot about their new-look running game in this one as they fell behind early.
Najeh Davenport had 27 yards on just 12 carries, while rookie Gary Russell had just six carries, gaining 20 yards.
Hey, what better time to find out if you can run the ball than in the first round of the playoffs?
© If there was one positive to Sunday’s game, it was that Baltimore failed to record a sack. That’s just the second time this season the Steelers did not allow a sack, with the other being against Cincinnati Dec. 2.
Of course it does make you wonder – again – how much of the protection problems the Steelers have had this season are the line and how much should be laid at the feet of Ben Roethlisberger.
If it’s not Roethlisberger’s fault, then we’re to believe that Trai Essex, who played about three and a half quarters at left tackle after Max Starks was injured, did a good job on Terrell Suggs. I don’t know if I’m ready to make that leap of faith.
© How much better is LaMarr Woodley going to be next season when he actually figures out what he’s doing?
Woodley gets himself out of position in the run game and has missed some tackles this season because of it, but he sure can rush the passer.
© The most shocking thing about the Ravens rushing for 180 yards in this game was that Baltimore really should not have been much of a passing threat.
Smith was 16 of 27 for 171 yards and was a rookie playing in just his third game. Of course the Steelers helped him out by dropping a couple of interceptions, including one by Ike Taylor that Smith threw right to him.
Had Taylor caught that ball – I know, it’s a stretch – he would have been gone for about a 90-yard touchdown. Instead, he dropped it and Baltimore kicked a field goal at the end of the first half. That was the difference between the Steelers going into the locker room down 17-14 instead of 20-7.
Taylor needs to spend the offseason working hard to improve his hands – again. You can’t drop the easy ones.
© Even though the Steelers have made the playoffs, this is a team in need of a serious offseason makeover.
It lacks defensive playmakers and the offensive line just isn’t that good.
This year’s team, however, has me a bit perplexed. Whereas in the past, you could count on the Steelers to put forth a solid effort in games like the one they had Sunday – meaningless in every way except for pride – now, even that is not guaranteed.
The Steelers laid down like dogs against the Ravens Sunday.
In fact, the guys who actually took the field looked like players attempting to get through the game without getting hurt.
There were some notable exceptions. James Harrison played hard as usual, as did Tyrone Carter and some others. But generally, the Steelers looked like they were going through the motions in this one.
Heck, nose tackle Casey Hampton got caught offsides, one two occasions, despite the fact he lines up directly over the ball.
I know Baltimore rookie QB Troy Smith is a cagey guy, but you can’t tell me that he’s already learned the nuances of changing his cadence to draw players offsides.
And the tackling, as it has been the past month and a half, was atrocius once again.
This team has all the looks of a team that is just happy to make the playoffs, one that will be one-and-done in the postseason.
© I think we need to put out and APB on that player who torched Penn State a few years ago in a bowl game for Florida State.
He’s either gone missing, or that was somebody else in Willie Reid’s uniform that day.
Reid looks like a bust as a return man and he doesn’t offer enough as a wide receiver to warrant a roster spot as a wide receiver. It looks like a wasted third-round draft pick.
© The Steelers didn’t get much of a chance to learn a whole lot about their new-look running game in this one as they fell behind early.
Najeh Davenport had 27 yards on just 12 carries, while rookie Gary Russell had just six carries, gaining 20 yards.
Hey, what better time to find out if you can run the ball than in the first round of the playoffs?
© If there was one positive to Sunday’s game, it was that Baltimore failed to record a sack. That’s just the second time this season the Steelers did not allow a sack, with the other being against Cincinnati Dec. 2.
Of course it does make you wonder – again – how much of the protection problems the Steelers have had this season are the line and how much should be laid at the feet of Ben Roethlisberger.
If it’s not Roethlisberger’s fault, then we’re to believe that Trai Essex, who played about three and a half quarters at left tackle after Max Starks was injured, did a good job on Terrell Suggs. I don’t know if I’m ready to make that leap of faith.
© How much better is LaMarr Woodley going to be next season when he actually figures out what he’s doing?
Woodley gets himself out of position in the run game and has missed some tackles this season because of it, but he sure can rush the passer.
© The most shocking thing about the Ravens rushing for 180 yards in this game was that Baltimore really should not have been much of a passing threat.
Smith was 16 of 27 for 171 yards and was a rookie playing in just his third game. Of course the Steelers helped him out by dropping a couple of interceptions, including one by Ike Taylor that Smith threw right to him.
Had Taylor caught that ball – I know, it’s a stretch – he would have been gone for about a 90-yard touchdown. Instead, he dropped it and Baltimore kicked a field goal at the end of the first half. That was the difference between the Steelers going into the locker room down 17-14 instead of 20-7.
Taylor needs to spend the offseason working hard to improve his hands – again. You can’t drop the easy ones.
© Even though the Steelers have made the playoffs, this is a team in need of a serious offseason makeover.
It lacks defensive playmakers and the offensive line just isn’t that good.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Monday's notes
Since there's no newspaper Tuesday, I'll give you a brief rundown of what happened Monday:
The Steelers have signed Verron Haynes, as expected, to replace Willie Parker, who was placed on IR. Parker had surgery over the weekend to help hasten the repair of his broken leg and is expected to be back in time for mini-camp.
Haynes could see some time as a third-down back and on special teams, but Najeh Davenport and Gary Russell are expected to see the bulk of the carries.
Carey Davis will see time as a third-down back as well.
Tomlin said he does not expect to rest any starters Sunday at Baltimore unless they are really hurting. The team wants the No. 3 seed and could still lock that up with a San Diego loss and a Pittsburgh win.
Marvel Smith could miss the rest of the season. He won't be back this week, for sure.
The Steelers have signed Verron Haynes, as expected, to replace Willie Parker, who was placed on IR. Parker had surgery over the weekend to help hasten the repair of his broken leg and is expected to be back in time for mini-camp.
Haynes could see some time as a third-down back and on special teams, but Najeh Davenport and Gary Russell are expected to see the bulk of the carries.
Carey Davis will see time as a third-down back as well.
Tomlin said he does not expect to rest any starters Sunday at Baltimore unless they are really hurting. The team wants the No. 3 seed and could still lock that up with a San Diego loss and a Pittsburgh win.
Marvel Smith could miss the rest of the season. He won't be back this week, for sure.
Friday, December 21, 2007
What we learned, St. Louis
The loss of running back Willie Parker for the season is a big one, but it’s not something that has to be a season-killer for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Head coach Mike Tomlin famously said earlier this season he was going to run Parker “until the wheels came off.”
The wheels are now off and the training wheels should also be gone from the Pittsburgh offense.
With Parker out, the Steelers should turn to Ben Roethlisberger to carry the offense, for better or worse. He’s a franchise quarterback and should be treated as such. If he has to throw the ball 35 or 40 times, then so be it.
Najeh Davenport and Carey Davis did a credible job against St. Louis of providing a running game, breaking tackles and getting extra yardage. But it’s doubtful the Steelers will be able to count on getting that kind of production out of that duo on a regular basis.
Besides, the Steelers didn’t beat St. Louis, 41-24, because of the 151 yards Davenport and Davis combined for on the ground – though it helped. The Steelers beat the Rams because Roethlisberger was 16 of 20 for 261 yards and three touchdowns.
He hit the Rams with some long passes early and forced St. Louis from bringing their safeties down to the line of scrimmage.
Without Parker, the Steelers may not be as balanced offensively, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Roethlisberger had a perfect passer rating against the Rams, the third time in his four-year career that he’s accomplished that rare feat. That, by the way, is the same number of perfect passer ratings that Peyton Manning has in his career.
© The ironic thing about Parker’s injury was that when reporters were asking players about their preference between playing on grass or artificial turf, Parker was the only player I spoke to who said he preferred an artificial surface.
© Speaking of Davenport, the coaching staff had to be out of its mind to send him out there on special teams after Parker’s injury.
Davenport was very slow to get up after a third quarter punt. He gingerly made his way to the sideline favoring his foot after the play.
I know it difficult to change those kind of things on the fly, but somebody had to realize that it wasn’t a good idea for the starting tailback to be out there covering kicks.
© Another aside to Parker’s injury: Many of the players didn’t know what was wrong or that he was lost for the season.
Parker’s best friend on the team, wide receiver Nate Washington, had to be told by reporters that Parker had broken his leg. Washington was speaking about Parker in terms of him possibly being available next week.
Guard Kendall Simmons told me after the game that he didn’t know in the first half.
“I knew Najeh was getting the ball a lot and I saw the running backs coach (Kirby Wilson) walking by on the sidelines in the second quarter and he told me what happened. I didn’t know anything was wrong.”
That kind of tells you what kind of vacuum these guys are in on game days.
© I wrote it last week and I’m doing so again this week, Max Starks should be a priority signing for this team.
Starks was the team’s best offensive lineman Thursday night and is really settling in as a left tackle.
He’ll command a big salary, but given this team’s offensive line problems, they can’t possibly allow both he and left guard Alan Faneca to leave in the offseason.
© Another post-game aside: On the bus after the game, linebacker James Harrison got on long after most of the other players and there were no seats available.
He looked around, pointed at rookie punter Daniel Sepulveda and pointed to an empty seat beside another player. Sepulveda got up and moved.
© Harrison and several other players needed IVs during the track meet at Edward Jones Dome. It was that kind of game.
© Rams running back Steven Jackson is the kind of dynamic player that would put the Steelers over the top in terms of closing the gap with Indianapolis and New England.
He had the power to run through tackles and the speed to sprint past defensive backs.
Jackson even made St. Louis’ makeshift offensive line look good.
© I loved the call by Tomlin for the fake punt in the first quarter. I would have liked it even if it had failed.
St. Louis’ offense was as close to being at full strength as its been all season. Tomlin knew the Rams were going to score points.
He coached accordingly.
© Santonio Holmes had four catches for 134 yards, but it was Hines Ward who had the big night.
Ward had a 19-yard catch on third-and-18 in the first quarter and a pair of catches on third down during a fourth quarter field goal-drive that allowed the Steelers to move the chains and put the game away.
In fact, Ward’s two catches for 19 yards in the fourth quarter were the only two completions the Steelers had or needed.
© The Steelers have now allowed 47 sacks this season and are close to setting a new benchmark for sacks allowed.
But as we saw in this game, the line is not solely to blame.
Roethlisberger’s biggest fault is that he holds the ball always looking to make a play. It’s what makes him so dangerous as a quarterback. It’s one of those things the Steelers will just have to live with.
Head coach Mike Tomlin famously said earlier this season he was going to run Parker “until the wheels came off.”
The wheels are now off and the training wheels should also be gone from the Pittsburgh offense.
With Parker out, the Steelers should turn to Ben Roethlisberger to carry the offense, for better or worse. He’s a franchise quarterback and should be treated as such. If he has to throw the ball 35 or 40 times, then so be it.
Najeh Davenport and Carey Davis did a credible job against St. Louis of providing a running game, breaking tackles and getting extra yardage. But it’s doubtful the Steelers will be able to count on getting that kind of production out of that duo on a regular basis.
Besides, the Steelers didn’t beat St. Louis, 41-24, because of the 151 yards Davenport and Davis combined for on the ground – though it helped. The Steelers beat the Rams because Roethlisberger was 16 of 20 for 261 yards and three touchdowns.
He hit the Rams with some long passes early and forced St. Louis from bringing their safeties down to the line of scrimmage.
Without Parker, the Steelers may not be as balanced offensively, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Roethlisberger had a perfect passer rating against the Rams, the third time in his four-year career that he’s accomplished that rare feat. That, by the way, is the same number of perfect passer ratings that Peyton Manning has in his career.
© The ironic thing about Parker’s injury was that when reporters were asking players about their preference between playing on grass or artificial turf, Parker was the only player I spoke to who said he preferred an artificial surface.
© Speaking of Davenport, the coaching staff had to be out of its mind to send him out there on special teams after Parker’s injury.
Davenport was very slow to get up after a third quarter punt. He gingerly made his way to the sideline favoring his foot after the play.
I know it difficult to change those kind of things on the fly, but somebody had to realize that it wasn’t a good idea for the starting tailback to be out there covering kicks.
© Another aside to Parker’s injury: Many of the players didn’t know what was wrong or that he was lost for the season.
Parker’s best friend on the team, wide receiver Nate Washington, had to be told by reporters that Parker had broken his leg. Washington was speaking about Parker in terms of him possibly being available next week.
Guard Kendall Simmons told me after the game that he didn’t know in the first half.
“I knew Najeh was getting the ball a lot and I saw the running backs coach (Kirby Wilson) walking by on the sidelines in the second quarter and he told me what happened. I didn’t know anything was wrong.”
That kind of tells you what kind of vacuum these guys are in on game days.
© I wrote it last week and I’m doing so again this week, Max Starks should be a priority signing for this team.
Starks was the team’s best offensive lineman Thursday night and is really settling in as a left tackle.
He’ll command a big salary, but given this team’s offensive line problems, they can’t possibly allow both he and left guard Alan Faneca to leave in the offseason.
© Another post-game aside: On the bus after the game, linebacker James Harrison got on long after most of the other players and there were no seats available.
He looked around, pointed at rookie punter Daniel Sepulveda and pointed to an empty seat beside another player. Sepulveda got up and moved.
© Harrison and several other players needed IVs during the track meet at Edward Jones Dome. It was that kind of game.
© Rams running back Steven Jackson is the kind of dynamic player that would put the Steelers over the top in terms of closing the gap with Indianapolis and New England.
He had the power to run through tackles and the speed to sprint past defensive backs.
Jackson even made St. Louis’ makeshift offensive line look good.
© I loved the call by Tomlin for the fake punt in the first quarter. I would have liked it even if it had failed.
St. Louis’ offense was as close to being at full strength as its been all season. Tomlin knew the Rams were going to score points.
He coached accordingly.
© Santonio Holmes had four catches for 134 yards, but it was Hines Ward who had the big night.
Ward had a 19-yard catch on third-and-18 in the first quarter and a pair of catches on third down during a fourth quarter field goal-drive that allowed the Steelers to move the chains and put the game away.
In fact, Ward’s two catches for 19 yards in the fourth quarter were the only two completions the Steelers had or needed.
© The Steelers have now allowed 47 sacks this season and are close to setting a new benchmark for sacks allowed.
But as we saw in this game, the line is not solely to blame.
Roethlisberger’s biggest fault is that he holds the ball always looking to make a play. It’s what makes him so dangerous as a quarterback. It’s one of those things the Steelers will just have to live with.
Monday, December 17, 2007
What we learned, Jacksonville
Sunday was an opportunity for the Steelers to show they belonged in the conversation when talking about the big boys in the NFL.
They failed miserably.
Not only that, but Jacksonville's victory over the Steelers put those two teams on a collision course for a first-round meeting in the playoffs as well, something that can't be too pleasing for anybody who watched the Jags dismantle the Pittsburgh defense Sunday.
The Steelers did very little in that game that showed why they should be favored in a possible rematch. The were beaten physically.
Mike Tomlin said Monday he was upset with the offense's early struggles because he felt the Steelers would have been able to run the ball on Jacksonville. After a slow start, they did have some success doing that. But some of the running was fluky.
The Steelers certainly didn't beat the Jaguars at the line of scrimmage on either side of the ball.
© Things won't be any easier this week against St. Louis.
The Rams' offensive line is a weak point, but Steven Jackson is one of the best running backs in the NFL and he's healthy and on a roll.
Considering the Steelers will be playing without Clark Haggans and Travis Kirschke, that won't be easy.
Actually, the loss of Kirschke will be bigger than Haggans.
Eason proved earlier this season to be a weak link in a game in which he played in place of injured Aaron Smith, which prompted the Steelers to go with Kirschke at that spot in the following game and when Smith was lost for the season.
And Haggans really hasn't been playing that well, so getting Woodley on the field could be a positive. At least he's a playmaker.
Opponents have been paying James Harrison more attention, giving him the double teams and allowing Haggans to rush the passer one-on-one. He's not winning those battles.
© Troy Polamalu is taking some heat for a couple of missed tackles against the Jaguars. But he was very disruptive in that game and certainly wasn't the only guy whiffing on Fred Taylor.
It was also Polamalu's first game in nearly a month, so I'm willing to give him a bit of a pass.
He was also responsible for the Steelers' first touchdown, coming up to tackle David Garrard inches short of the sticks when it looked like Garrard had a sure first down on a scramble.
The Jags bungled the ensuing punt and the Steelers got great field position and scored.
Nobody else on that team could have made that play.
© That's one of the problems with the Steelers' defense right now. If Harrison isn't making plays and forcing turnovers, they're not getting them from anywhere else.
Maybe Woodley can be that guy.
© In a way, it was good to hear that Marvel Smith's back was bothering him. I'd hate to think he would have played as badly as he did Sunday without a reason.
The Steelers are going to have a very tough decision to make at season's end. They had planned to allow Max Starks to walk at the end of the season as a free agent.
They may want to rethink that position.
According to some estimates, they'll be $18 million under the 2008 salary cap. They want to extend Ben Roethlisberger's contract this offseason, and that will eat up roughly $4 to $5 million of that – though it could be less if they get creative with the signing bonus.
That will leave them with a good deal of money to sign free agents, with offensive linemen being the top priority. And bringing Starks back – with Smith's back now a concern – should be a priority.
The team won't re-sign Alan Faneca and will take a young lineman in the draft to help fill that spot at left guard. But Starks could be one of their top five offensive linemen returning in 2008. Then again, he's probably one of their top five right now and they're not playing him.
© The Steelers need a better complimentary running back to pair with Willie Parker as well.
They liked Maurice Jones-Drew in the draft last year, but the Jags took him in the second round.
Jones-Drew isn't a big guy, but he's a hard-nosed runner capable of being a short-yardage back and a third-down threat. That's what this team is missing.
Jones-Drew is also a solid return man, something else this team needs.
They failed miserably.
Not only that, but Jacksonville's victory over the Steelers put those two teams on a collision course for a first-round meeting in the playoffs as well, something that can't be too pleasing for anybody who watched the Jags dismantle the Pittsburgh defense Sunday.
The Steelers did very little in that game that showed why they should be favored in a possible rematch. The were beaten physically.
Mike Tomlin said Monday he was upset with the offense's early struggles because he felt the Steelers would have been able to run the ball on Jacksonville. After a slow start, they did have some success doing that. But some of the running was fluky.
The Steelers certainly didn't beat the Jaguars at the line of scrimmage on either side of the ball.
© Things won't be any easier this week against St. Louis.
The Rams' offensive line is a weak point, but Steven Jackson is one of the best running backs in the NFL and he's healthy and on a roll.
Considering the Steelers will be playing without Clark Haggans and Travis Kirschke, that won't be easy.
Actually, the loss of Kirschke will be bigger than Haggans.
Eason proved earlier this season to be a weak link in a game in which he played in place of injured Aaron Smith, which prompted the Steelers to go with Kirschke at that spot in the following game and when Smith was lost for the season.
And Haggans really hasn't been playing that well, so getting Woodley on the field could be a positive. At least he's a playmaker.
Opponents have been paying James Harrison more attention, giving him the double teams and allowing Haggans to rush the passer one-on-one. He's not winning those battles.
© Troy Polamalu is taking some heat for a couple of missed tackles against the Jaguars. But he was very disruptive in that game and certainly wasn't the only guy whiffing on Fred Taylor.
It was also Polamalu's first game in nearly a month, so I'm willing to give him a bit of a pass.
He was also responsible for the Steelers' first touchdown, coming up to tackle David Garrard inches short of the sticks when it looked like Garrard had a sure first down on a scramble.
The Jags bungled the ensuing punt and the Steelers got great field position and scored.
Nobody else on that team could have made that play.
© That's one of the problems with the Steelers' defense right now. If Harrison isn't making plays and forcing turnovers, they're not getting them from anywhere else.
Maybe Woodley can be that guy.
© In a way, it was good to hear that Marvel Smith's back was bothering him. I'd hate to think he would have played as badly as he did Sunday without a reason.
The Steelers are going to have a very tough decision to make at season's end. They had planned to allow Max Starks to walk at the end of the season as a free agent.
They may want to rethink that position.
According to some estimates, they'll be $18 million under the 2008 salary cap. They want to extend Ben Roethlisberger's contract this offseason, and that will eat up roughly $4 to $5 million of that – though it could be less if they get creative with the signing bonus.
That will leave them with a good deal of money to sign free agents, with offensive linemen being the top priority. And bringing Starks back – with Smith's back now a concern – should be a priority.
The team won't re-sign Alan Faneca and will take a young lineman in the draft to help fill that spot at left guard. But Starks could be one of their top five offensive linemen returning in 2008. Then again, he's probably one of their top five right now and they're not playing him.
© The Steelers need a better complimentary running back to pair with Willie Parker as well.
They liked Maurice Jones-Drew in the draft last year, but the Jags took him in the second round.
Jones-Drew isn't a big guy, but he's a hard-nosed runner capable of being a short-yardage back and a third-down threat. That's what this team is missing.
Jones-Drew is also a solid return man, something else this team needs.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Roethlisberger will play
Ben Roethlisberger's sore right shoulder kept him out of practice a couple of days this week, but it won't be enough to keep him out of a big game against Jacksonville.
Roethlisberger is champing at the bit to get another shot at the Jags, who embarrassed him last season, shutting the Steelers out in Jacksonville.
The Steelers will also have Troy Polamalu back for this one.
BTW, the reason for no power rankings this week has been a busy shopping week since I have two games in four days to cover next week.
But the power rankings look something like this:
1. New England (13-0)
2. Indianapolis (11-2)
Everybody else except Miami
32. Miami.
Roethlisberger is champing at the bit to get another shot at the Jags, who embarrassed him last season, shutting the Steelers out in Jacksonville.
The Steelers will also have Troy Polamalu back for this one.
BTW, the reason for no power rankings this week has been a busy shopping week since I have two games in four days to cover next week.
But the power rankings look something like this:
1. New England (13-0)
2. Indianapolis (11-2)
Everybody else except Miami
32. Miami.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
What we learned: New England
Sorry this was so late, but apparently there was a problem with blogspot.
But that does allow me to talk about the latest Steelers news, which is the fact Aaron Smith is out for the year with a torn biceps.
That's bad news for the Steelers, who face a very physical Jacksonville team this week.
© After playing the Steelers in a semi-conventional way in the first half of their game Sunday, the Patriots adjusted at halftime and went back to their game plan from 2002.
New England threw the ball on 25 consecutive plays against the Steelers in that game, a 30-14 Patriots’ victory, was strangely reminiscent of Sunday’s 34-13 win at Gillette Stadium.
New England had quarterback Tom Brady drop back to pass on 33 consecutive plays. That’s right, the Patriots dropped back to pass 33 consecutive times, including their first 26 plays of the second half.
Until their final possession of the game, when they were just trying to burn some clock, Tom Brady attempted to pass on every play, throwing 25 times and scrambling for a four-yard gain on another.
It was a game plan that rendered the strength of the Pittsburgh defense, its front seven, totally useless.
For most of the game, Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton stood on the sidelines watching. Backup defensive end Nick Eason got more snaps in the second half than Hampton did as Pittsburgh countered by playing a lot of nickel.
And Brady was getting rid of the ball so quickly, the Steelers rarely even pressured him.
In fact, the Steelers failed to register a sack Sunday and had just four pressures.
That’s not going to get it done.
Perhaps getting Troy Polamalu back for a possible rematch in the playoffs – Playoffs? Did you say playoffs? – will make a difference.
With Polamalu back, the Steelers can play more dime, with Tyrone Carter coming in as the deep safety and William Gay staying on the sidelines. And Pittsburgh can also go with its big nickel as well, with a line of Brett Keisel, Aaron Smith, Hampton and Chris Hoke.
In fact, I’m not sure why we didn’t see that formation Sunday. Hampton and Hoke may have been able to use their bulk to push the pocket up in Brady’s face.
What the heck, nothing else the Steelers did Sunday worked.
© Actually, the reason the Steelers didn’t use the big nickel was because they didn’t want to take linebackers James Harrison and Clark Haggans off the field.
OK, they didn’t want to take Harrison off the field.
© As big a game as Sunday’s matchup was, it’s not nearly as big as this week’s game against Jacksonville.
Jacksonville is a team that could quite possible come to Heinz Field in the playoffs in the opening round.
And the Steelers have to prove they can be effective against the Jacksonville defense, which totally shut Pittsburgh down in a meeting last season.
In fact, a victory by the Steelers Sunday would drop the Jaguars into a tie with Cleveland for the top wildcard spot in the AFC.
Not to mention, Sunday’s loss puts the Steelers just a game ahead of Cleveland in the AFC North standings.
Given that the Browns finish up with games at home against Buffalo and San Francisco sandwiched around a game at Cincinnati, Cleveland could very well finish at 11-5.
Pittsburgh holds the tiebreaker over Cleveland, but a loss to Jacksonville would also be the Steelers’ fourth conference loss and open the possibility that they could fall to the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs.
San Diego has a 7-3 conference record and still has to host Detroit and Denver before finishing up its season at Oakland in three very winnable games.
And, of course, the fourth seed in the playoffs – should it win its playoff opener – stands a good shot of having to go to Gillette Stadium to face the Patriots, who will be coming off a bye.
You want to delay that trip as long as possible.
© The Steelers used Ike Taylor to shadow Randy Moss all over the field Sunday.
Taylor didn’t have bad coverage on Moss a couple of times, but still gave up the reception.
Moss is that good.
© Brady is that good as well.
© Willie Colon had his hands full with Mike Vrabel all day long. The rest of the line actually played pretty well, but Colon struggled with Vrabel’s quickness to the outside.
© The Steelers should continue to use Willie Parker the way they did Sunday for the remainder of this season.
Many times, they passed when they should have run and ran when they should have passed. And Parker was able to get outside more Sunday than he had all season.
Then again, the Steelers outrushed the Patriots, 181 to 22, and it didn’t make a difference.
When you can’t punch the ball in from inside the 10, you don’t deserve to win.
In fact, the Steelers were 0-for-3 in the red zone Sunday and lost by 21 points. You do the math.
© Wouldn’t you have liked to have seen the Steelers try a gadget play or two – I mean other than an end around with an empty backfield on fourth-and-goal from the one – as the Patriots did?
But that does allow me to talk about the latest Steelers news, which is the fact Aaron Smith is out for the year with a torn biceps.
That's bad news for the Steelers, who face a very physical Jacksonville team this week.
© After playing the Steelers in a semi-conventional way in the first half of their game Sunday, the Patriots adjusted at halftime and went back to their game plan from 2002.
New England threw the ball on 25 consecutive plays against the Steelers in that game, a 30-14 Patriots’ victory, was strangely reminiscent of Sunday’s 34-13 win at Gillette Stadium.
New England had quarterback Tom Brady drop back to pass on 33 consecutive plays. That’s right, the Patriots dropped back to pass 33 consecutive times, including their first 26 plays of the second half.
Until their final possession of the game, when they were just trying to burn some clock, Tom Brady attempted to pass on every play, throwing 25 times and scrambling for a four-yard gain on another.
It was a game plan that rendered the strength of the Pittsburgh defense, its front seven, totally useless.
For most of the game, Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton stood on the sidelines watching. Backup defensive end Nick Eason got more snaps in the second half than Hampton did as Pittsburgh countered by playing a lot of nickel.
And Brady was getting rid of the ball so quickly, the Steelers rarely even pressured him.
In fact, the Steelers failed to register a sack Sunday and had just four pressures.
That’s not going to get it done.
Perhaps getting Troy Polamalu back for a possible rematch in the playoffs – Playoffs? Did you say playoffs? – will make a difference.
With Polamalu back, the Steelers can play more dime, with Tyrone Carter coming in as the deep safety and William Gay staying on the sidelines. And Pittsburgh can also go with its big nickel as well, with a line of Brett Keisel, Aaron Smith, Hampton and Chris Hoke.
In fact, I’m not sure why we didn’t see that formation Sunday. Hampton and Hoke may have been able to use their bulk to push the pocket up in Brady’s face.
What the heck, nothing else the Steelers did Sunday worked.
© Actually, the reason the Steelers didn’t use the big nickel was because they didn’t want to take linebackers James Harrison and Clark Haggans off the field.
OK, they didn’t want to take Harrison off the field.
© As big a game as Sunday’s matchup was, it’s not nearly as big as this week’s game against Jacksonville.
Jacksonville is a team that could quite possible come to Heinz Field in the playoffs in the opening round.
And the Steelers have to prove they can be effective against the Jacksonville defense, which totally shut Pittsburgh down in a meeting last season.
In fact, a victory by the Steelers Sunday would drop the Jaguars into a tie with Cleveland for the top wildcard spot in the AFC.
Not to mention, Sunday’s loss puts the Steelers just a game ahead of Cleveland in the AFC North standings.
Given that the Browns finish up with games at home against Buffalo and San Francisco sandwiched around a game at Cincinnati, Cleveland could very well finish at 11-5.
Pittsburgh holds the tiebreaker over Cleveland, but a loss to Jacksonville would also be the Steelers’ fourth conference loss and open the possibility that they could fall to the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs.
San Diego has a 7-3 conference record and still has to host Detroit and Denver before finishing up its season at Oakland in three very winnable games.
And, of course, the fourth seed in the playoffs – should it win its playoff opener – stands a good shot of having to go to Gillette Stadium to face the Patriots, who will be coming off a bye.
You want to delay that trip as long as possible.
© The Steelers used Ike Taylor to shadow Randy Moss all over the field Sunday.
Taylor didn’t have bad coverage on Moss a couple of times, but still gave up the reception.
Moss is that good.
© Brady is that good as well.
© Willie Colon had his hands full with Mike Vrabel all day long. The rest of the line actually played pretty well, but Colon struggled with Vrabel’s quickness to the outside.
© The Steelers should continue to use Willie Parker the way they did Sunday for the remainder of this season.
Many times, they passed when they should have run and ran when they should have passed. And Parker was able to get outside more Sunday than he had all season.
Then again, the Steelers outrushed the Patriots, 181 to 22, and it didn’t make a difference.
When you can’t punch the ball in from inside the 10, you don’t deserve to win.
In fact, the Steelers were 0-for-3 in the red zone Sunday and lost by 21 points. You do the math.
© Wouldn’t you have liked to have seen the Steelers try a gadget play or two – I mean other than an end around with an empty backfield on fourth-and-goal from the one – as the Patriots did?
Thursday, December 06, 2007
The guarantee
Anthony Smith guaranteed a win Sunday over the Patriots.
Hey, why not. Everybody else this season has blown smoke up New England's collective behind, talking about how great they are and how it's so awesome to get a chance to get to be on the same field as such a fantastic display of talent.
Smith's comments are certain to be bulletin-board material for the Patriots, who love that kind of thing.
But he's also put the onus on himself and the rest of the defense to step up with a big game.
Hey, why not. Everybody else this season has blown smoke up New England's collective behind, talking about how great they are and how it's so awesome to get a chance to get to be on the same field as such a fantastic display of talent.
Smith's comments are certain to be bulletin-board material for the Patriots, who love that kind of thing.
But he's also put the onus on himself and the rest of the defense to step up with a big game.
Week 13 Power rankings
1. New England (12-0) If they can get by the Steelers this week, it could be smooth sailing the rest of the way in the regular season.
2. Indianapolis (10-2) The win over the Jags was more impressive in my eyes than Dallas' win over Green Bay.
3. Dallas (11-1) The Cowboys are playing well, but the defense has holes.
4. Pittsburgh (9-3) Need to let Big Ben open things up because the running game is struggling.
5. Green Bay (10-2) Brett Favre played very poorly before getting hurt at Dallas.
6. Jacksonville (8-4) Among the league's elite.
7. Tampa Bay (8-4) That was an impressive win last week with the backup QB in.
8. Seattle (8-4) The Seahawks are coming on strong.
9. San Diego (7-5) The Chargers could make a run.
10. Cleveland (7-5) Tough loss last week at Arizona.
11. N.Y. Giants (8-4) Eli Manning still makes too many mistakes.
12. Tennessee (7-5) A different team with Albert Haynesworth in the lineup.
13. Minnesota (6-6) Can you win with just a running game? Apparently so.
14. Arizona (6-6) The injuries continue to mount.
15. Buffalo (6-6) An amazing 6-6.
16. Detroit (6-6) Fading fast.
17. Philadelphia (5-7) McNabb comes back this week.
18. Chicago (5-7) Still in the playoff hunt in the NFC.
19. New Orleans (5-7) A division title is out now, but still could be a wild card.
20. Denver (5-7) Too inconsistent to matter.
21. Washington (5-7) If you can't win an emotional game like last week …
22. Baltimore (4-8) Showed a little something last week, but still too many knuckleheads.
23. Houston (5-7) When five wins is your benchmark, you're a bad franchise.
24. Carolina (5-7) Just off this year.
25. Cincinnati (4-8) There's no toughness on this team at all.
26. Oakland (4-8) Two wins in a row.
27. St. Louis (3-9) Playing better now that Steven Jackson is back.
28. Kansas City (4-8) Turns out, the Chiefs are who we thought they were.
29. N.Y. Jets (3-9) OK, so you beat the Dolphins.
30. San Francisco (3-9) Just awful.
31. Atlanta (3-9) Can Bobby Petrino be fired after one season?
32. Miami (0-12) Slip sliding away.
2. Indianapolis (10-2) The win over the Jags was more impressive in my eyes than Dallas' win over Green Bay.
3. Dallas (11-1) The Cowboys are playing well, but the defense has holes.
4. Pittsburgh (9-3) Need to let Big Ben open things up because the running game is struggling.
5. Green Bay (10-2) Brett Favre played very poorly before getting hurt at Dallas.
6. Jacksonville (8-4) Among the league's elite.
7. Tampa Bay (8-4) That was an impressive win last week with the backup QB in.
8. Seattle (8-4) The Seahawks are coming on strong.
9. San Diego (7-5) The Chargers could make a run.
10. Cleveland (7-5) Tough loss last week at Arizona.
11. N.Y. Giants (8-4) Eli Manning still makes too many mistakes.
12. Tennessee (7-5) A different team with Albert Haynesworth in the lineup.
13. Minnesota (6-6) Can you win with just a running game? Apparently so.
14. Arizona (6-6) The injuries continue to mount.
15. Buffalo (6-6) An amazing 6-6.
16. Detroit (6-6) Fading fast.
17. Philadelphia (5-7) McNabb comes back this week.
18. Chicago (5-7) Still in the playoff hunt in the NFC.
19. New Orleans (5-7) A division title is out now, but still could be a wild card.
20. Denver (5-7) Too inconsistent to matter.
21. Washington (5-7) If you can't win an emotional game like last week …
22. Baltimore (4-8) Showed a little something last week, but still too many knuckleheads.
23. Houston (5-7) When five wins is your benchmark, you're a bad franchise.
24. Carolina (5-7) Just off this year.
25. Cincinnati (4-8) There's no toughness on this team at all.
26. Oakland (4-8) Two wins in a row.
27. St. Louis (3-9) Playing better now that Steven Jackson is back.
28. Kansas City (4-8) Turns out, the Chiefs are who we thought they were.
29. N.Y. Jets (3-9) OK, so you beat the Dolphins.
30. San Francisco (3-9) Just awful.
31. Atlanta (3-9) Can Bobby Petrino be fired after one season?
32. Miami (0-12) Slip sliding away.
Monday, December 03, 2007
What we learned, Cincinnati (again)
The Cincinnati Bengals must have read the quotes from Pittsburgh Steelers safety Anthony Smith about how he was going to light them up if they came across the middle.
I have never seen a less-inspired effort from a group of wideouts in my 15 years of covering the NFL.
Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chris Henry could not have played a weaker game than the one they played here Sunday night.
At one point, Henry laid down like a baby getting ready to take a nap after catching a pass over the middle with Smith bearing down on him.
And Cincinnati’s last offensive play of the game was Johnson backing out of bounds for a 13-yard gain rather than fighting for extra yardage when the Bengals needed 17 yards on fourth down to keep their fading hopes alive.
I guess Johnson was just trying to get an early start on his offseason.
© Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer may throw a prettier pass, but I’ll take Ben Roethlisberger on my team anytime over Palmer.
Don’t get me wrong, Palmer is a good quarterback. But Roethlisberger is a football player.
The next time Palmer drops his shoulder and dives into the end zone from four yards out to score, going over a defender to get there, let me know.
© The Steelers had a lot of success against the Bengals by rushing three and dropping eight into coverage.
That won’t work next week against New England.
The key to beating the Patriots is putting pressure on Tom Brady and forcing him out of his comfort zone. He’s way too accurate and patient to allow him to sit back and look for the open receiver.
© Look for the Patriots to employ a similar game plan to the one they did in 2002 against the Steelers when they came out and didn’t even attempt to run the ball.
© I know, we’re supposed to be talking about the Cincinnati game here, but I’m just getting a jump on the national media, who will begin hyping the Pittsburgh-New England game immediately after the Patriots put the Ravens away Monday night.
That moment will come when New England scores its first points because there’s no way Baltimore’s popgun offense will be able to keep up.
© Tyrone Carter has played well in place of strong safety Troy Polamalu, Max Starks was admirable in his replacement of left tackle Marvel Smith and Cedrick Wilson and Nate Washington were OK in place of wide receiver Santonio Holmes.
There, we gave those guys the praise the deserve for filling in for injured starters the past two weeks.
But the Steelers will need all of their starters when they line up to play the Patriots.
Word is, all will be ready to go Sunday.
© Najeh Davenport apparently had some numbness in his foot in the hours leading up to Sunday’s game, which was why he was inactive and rookie Gary Russell got a shot to play.
© Roethlisberger pass to Hines Ward during the Steelers’ final touchdown drive, zipping the ball in between two defenders, was a thing of beauty.
So was Ward holding onto the ball after getting popped.
If the Cincinnati receivers weren’t taking notes, they should have been.
© I thought the Bengals would come in and give the Steelers stiffer competition.
I guess they weren't who we thought they were.
I have never seen a less-inspired effort from a group of wideouts in my 15 years of covering the NFL.
Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chris Henry could not have played a weaker game than the one they played here Sunday night.
At one point, Henry laid down like a baby getting ready to take a nap after catching a pass over the middle with Smith bearing down on him.
And Cincinnati’s last offensive play of the game was Johnson backing out of bounds for a 13-yard gain rather than fighting for extra yardage when the Bengals needed 17 yards on fourth down to keep their fading hopes alive.
I guess Johnson was just trying to get an early start on his offseason.
© Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer may throw a prettier pass, but I’ll take Ben Roethlisberger on my team anytime over Palmer.
Don’t get me wrong, Palmer is a good quarterback. But Roethlisberger is a football player.
The next time Palmer drops his shoulder and dives into the end zone from four yards out to score, going over a defender to get there, let me know.
© The Steelers had a lot of success against the Bengals by rushing three and dropping eight into coverage.
That won’t work next week against New England.
The key to beating the Patriots is putting pressure on Tom Brady and forcing him out of his comfort zone. He’s way too accurate and patient to allow him to sit back and look for the open receiver.
© Look for the Patriots to employ a similar game plan to the one they did in 2002 against the Steelers when they came out and didn’t even attempt to run the ball.
© I know, we’re supposed to be talking about the Cincinnati game here, but I’m just getting a jump on the national media, who will begin hyping the Pittsburgh-New England game immediately after the Patriots put the Ravens away Monday night.
That moment will come when New England scores its first points because there’s no way Baltimore’s popgun offense will be able to keep up.
© Tyrone Carter has played well in place of strong safety Troy Polamalu, Max Starks was admirable in his replacement of left tackle Marvel Smith and Cedrick Wilson and Nate Washington were OK in place of wide receiver Santonio Holmes.
There, we gave those guys the praise the deserve for filling in for injured starters the past two weeks.
But the Steelers will need all of their starters when they line up to play the Patriots.
Word is, all will be ready to go Sunday.
© Najeh Davenport apparently had some numbness in his foot in the hours leading up to Sunday’s game, which was why he was inactive and rookie Gary Russell got a shot to play.
© Roethlisberger pass to Hines Ward during the Steelers’ final touchdown drive, zipping the ball in between two defenders, was a thing of beauty.
So was Ward holding onto the ball after getting popped.
If the Cincinnati receivers weren’t taking notes, they should have been.
© I thought the Bengals would come in and give the Steelers stiffer competition.
I guess they weren't who we thought they were.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Goodbye Danny
We've probably seen the last of Dan Kreider in a Steelers uniform as the eight-year vet went on the disabled list with a knee injury Thursday.
Kreider has been phased out of the Pittsburgh offense this season in favor of Carey Davis, who's a better runner and receiver out of the backfield.
But the Steelers still used Kreider when they wanted to line up and punish opponents or late in games when they were milking the clock.
But Kreider is an unrestricted free agent after this year and his knee injury was his third injury this season in limited playing time. Running into brick walls head first for eight years will do that to a guy.
It was good while it lasted for Kreider, a true class act.
And yes, that was former Steelers fullback John Kuhn lead-blocking for Green Bay Thursday night.
Kreider has been phased out of the Pittsburgh offense this season in favor of Carey Davis, who's a better runner and receiver out of the backfield.
But the Steelers still used Kreider when they wanted to line up and punish opponents or late in games when they were milking the clock.
But Kreider is an unrestricted free agent after this year and his knee injury was his third injury this season in limited playing time. Running into brick walls head first for eight years will do that to a guy.
It was good while it lasted for Kreider, a true class act.
And yes, that was former Steelers fullback John Kuhn lead-blocking for Green Bay Thursday night.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Week 12 Power Rankings
1. New England (11-0) Survived a scare against Philadelphia.
2. Dallas (10-1) Will beat Green Bay this week because it's in Dallas.
3. Green Bay (10-1) I think the Packers are a better all-around team than Dallas, but they have to play the Cowboys in Big D.
4. Indianapolis (9-2) Starting to get healthy.
5. Pittsburgh (8-3) Survived in the mud. Face a good test this week with Cincinnati.
6. Jacksonville (8-3) This team is really playing well, but has to travel to Indy this week.
7. San Diego (6-5) Don't forget about the Chargers.
8. Seattle (7-4) Found a way to win on the road.
9. Cleveland (7-4) The defense is playing better, but still isn't where it needs to be.
10. Tampa Bay (7-4) Tampa's defense is playing very well.
11. N.Y. Giants (7-4) The annual second-half swoon may be starting.
12. Detroit (6-5) Needs to right the ship.
13. Tennessee (6-5) In the same boat as Detroit.
14. Philadelphia (5-6) Could sneak into the playoffs in the NFC.
15. Minnesota (5-6) No QB, but it might not matter in the NFC.
16. Chicago (5-6) Why does anybody kick to Devin Hester if they don't have to.
17. Houston (5-6) Still not ready for prime time.
18. Denver (5-6) This team just can't seem to bring it all together.
19. New Orleans (5-6) The Saints could still make a playoff push.
20. Washington (5-6) How do you lose to a team that fails to record a first down in the second half?
21. Arizona (5-6) How do you lose to San Francisco twice?
22. Buffalo (5-6) The Bills could win seven or eight games this season by default because the rest of the divison is so bad, or they may not win again. It's that close.
23. Cincinnati (4-7) The offense is getting healthy. If they only had a defense.
24. Kansas City (4-7) That loss to the Raiders will haunt them.
25. Carolina (4-7) How do you fail to win a home game in more than a year?
26. Baltimore (4-7) The wheels have come off.
27. Oakland (3-8) A commitment to Justin Fargas.
28. San Francisco (3-8) Is Fank Gore finally healthy? If so, they could play a spoiler role.
29. Atlanta (3-8) Bobby Petrino could be one and done in Atlanta if the right college program comes calling.
30. St. Louis (2-9) If Bulger comes back, this is as dangerous a two-win team as there is in the league.
31. N.Y. Jets (2-9) Forget the win against the Steelers coming out of their bye, the Jets are who we thought they were.
32. Miami (0-11) The Dolphins have problems and they are great.
2. Dallas (10-1) Will beat Green Bay this week because it's in Dallas.
3. Green Bay (10-1) I think the Packers are a better all-around team than Dallas, but they have to play the Cowboys in Big D.
4. Indianapolis (9-2) Starting to get healthy.
5. Pittsburgh (8-3) Survived in the mud. Face a good test this week with Cincinnati.
6. Jacksonville (8-3) This team is really playing well, but has to travel to Indy this week.
7. San Diego (6-5) Don't forget about the Chargers.
8. Seattle (7-4) Found a way to win on the road.
9. Cleveland (7-4) The defense is playing better, but still isn't where it needs to be.
10. Tampa Bay (7-4) Tampa's defense is playing very well.
11. N.Y. Giants (7-4) The annual second-half swoon may be starting.
12. Detroit (6-5) Needs to right the ship.
13. Tennessee (6-5) In the same boat as Detroit.
14. Philadelphia (5-6) Could sneak into the playoffs in the NFC.
15. Minnesota (5-6) No QB, but it might not matter in the NFC.
16. Chicago (5-6) Why does anybody kick to Devin Hester if they don't have to.
17. Houston (5-6) Still not ready for prime time.
18. Denver (5-6) This team just can't seem to bring it all together.
19. New Orleans (5-6) The Saints could still make a playoff push.
20. Washington (5-6) How do you lose to a team that fails to record a first down in the second half?
21. Arizona (5-6) How do you lose to San Francisco twice?
22. Buffalo (5-6) The Bills could win seven or eight games this season by default because the rest of the divison is so bad, or they may not win again. It's that close.
23. Cincinnati (4-7) The offense is getting healthy. If they only had a defense.
24. Kansas City (4-7) That loss to the Raiders will haunt them.
25. Carolina (4-7) How do you fail to win a home game in more than a year?
26. Baltimore (4-7) The wheels have come off.
27. Oakland (3-8) A commitment to Justin Fargas.
28. San Francisco (3-8) Is Fank Gore finally healthy? If so, they could play a spoiler role.
29. Atlanta (3-8) Bobby Petrino could be one and done in Atlanta if the right college program comes calling.
30. St. Louis (2-9) If Bulger comes back, this is as dangerous a two-win team as there is in the league.
31. N.Y. Jets (2-9) Forget the win against the Steelers coming out of their bye, the Jets are who we thought they were.
32. Miami (0-11) The Dolphins have problems and they are great.
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