The Blitzburgh Report

I don’t know what’s worse- to play horribly and get beat badly, or to play horribly but make one of the greatest comebacks in playoff history only to still end up losing. Either way the result is the same and the Steelers’ season is over:

• The Steelers have had a lot of comebacks this season, which isn’t totally a great thing. I mean you love to see a team that can rally and doesn’t give up, but you also can’t keep starting out so poorly that you have to keep coming back.
   
  But along that same point, it is good to see that Ben Roethlisberger can recover from a bad performance. Quarterbacks will have bad days, but as the saying goes they need to have short memories- and Ben does. He’s done it all his career and it is good to know that the team is never really out of the game no matter how bad it gets.

• But, it must be said that Big Ben’s poor performance in the first half was probably the main contributor to the Steelers’ loss. I will give him a pass on the third interception because the Jacksonville player was basically out of the play, and just made a nice recovery and catch for a big man. But the first two interceptions were horrendous. Especially the second one. That pass intended for Najeh Davenport has to go down as one of the worst of Ben’s career so far in terms of decision and execution…

• …there just was no reason to throw it deep to a double covered Davenport who wasn’t in position to defend the pass, let alone try to catch it himself. Unfortunately I think it is just part of Ben’s game and something that will always be there. He reminds me of Brett Favre, slinging the ball around and trying to force it. They are talented enough to make the play most times, but they’re going to throw those dumb picks as well.

• One last point on Ben- and it is that nearly all of his sacks last night were because he held on to the ball too long. As bad as the offensive line has been this season, I think you can chalk a chunk of those sacks up to Ben not getting rid of the ball. I think that a large part of it is because he is always looking for the long ball. Sure, it makes for a lot of exciting plays, but at the same time he usually has a back wide open that he could dump the ball off to.
   
  I remember on one of the sacks last night they showed a replay of the Steelers receivers and Ben had two guys wide open that he could have thrown to. This is a part of Ben’s game that he really needs to work on.

• Speaking of the offensive line, they actually played a fairly good game. Especially Trai Essex. I give him a lot of credit for holding his ground, and it starts to make me wonder about Marvel Smith. When he went down he had two different guys- “the scapegoat” Max Starks, and “hasn’t started in two seasons” Trai Essex- step in and play better than he did. I know he was hurt but we’re going to have to include him in the pile with the linemen that will need a serious evaluation this offseason.

• Alright, I am just going to throw it out there, but I think the Steelers got hosed a bit last night on some of the penalties. It happens and teams have to deal with it, but that phantom holding call on Sean Mahan on the two point conversion is still bugging me today.
   
  Furthermore, it seemed like every replay they showed of an outside Steelers’ rusher, he was held after he had his man beat. I am sure holding happens a lot with every team, but there is nothing more frustrating then hearing Al Michaels talking about what a great block some Jaguars player had as on the screen we are seeing him with his arm hooked around James Harrison’s neck.

• What happened to the offense? Not just in this game but over the last half of the season. They started the year looking nearly unstoppable, and ended looking confused and sporadic. Especially the running game. The Steelers had been the best rushing team in the league over the last 15 odd years, so to see them struggling this season is just frustrating.
   
  What is it? They looked so impressive on that first drive last night, very reminiscent of their games in the 2005 playoffs. Then they looked horrible. As much of a dumb sounding comment it was by Madden when he said it looked like the Steelers didn’t have a plan on offense, he was kind of right.
   
  There were a lot of bad calls last night. That run by Ben on a third and six when they were trying to run out the clock was just a bad idea. Ben is no Vince Young, and furthermore I’m not so sure that at that point you may just want to throw it and try to get the first down. They only had a one point lead and I think getting the first down there was more important than running a couple more second off the clock.

• I think the two point conversion plays were garbage as well. We’ve seen some creative ones that worked well during the season, but this time they ran two fade passes. The first was insanely lucky to have been caught by Hines Ward, but it was negated by the phantom holding call anyway. After that they probably should have kicked the extra point.
   
  But the third two point attempt was just as bad. That fade to Nate Washington just seemed like more of a play that you would run on a first and goal, not when you absolutely need to get into the endzone. Where was the trick play? Where was that special play you keep just for those situations? A fade pass? Come on.
   
  I’m not very confident in Bruce Arians right now. I am not saying they need to get rid of the guy or that he is terrible, just that he still needs some work. Hopefully he is the type that can learn from his mistakes and improve his work.

• This is getting a bit long so I will quickly go through some of the props I wanted to give. Props to Hines Ward and Heath Miller for being dependable and clutch. Props to LaMarr Woodley for his pass rushing- he should be starting next year. Again, props to Trai Essex for having a solid game. Props to Ben for bouncing back from the first half, but most of all for waiting for David Garrard to finish his interviews so he could congratulate him; he is a class act. Props to the entire defense for playing a good game, they held Fred Taylor in check this time and had two interceptions on Garrard- they certainly did enough to win on their end.

• For whatever the reason, the Steelers went on quite a slide to end the season after starting 9-3. There were a lot of key injuries and I am sure that had a lot to do with it, but that is part of life in the NFL. They went from looking like a possible darkhorse in the AFC to losing 4 of their last five games. Ouch. There will be a lot of discussion over just what went wrong, but I am willing to bet that there is no easy answer. A lot of things went wrong, and fortunately I think they are fixable. But we’re going to have to wait until next year to find out.

That’s it, the end to another season. The Steelers went from a team that started out looking like one of the best, to a team that limped into the playoffs. I am sure a lot of time will be devoted to trying to figure out why. But for now it is time to fold up the terrible towels and put them away until next year.

Thanks to all of the readers of this site and for your great comments and discussion. We’ll keep updating regularly this offseason including some reviews of the season , so check back in the coming weeks for a for that.

For better or worse, this season will be defined by injuries. If the Steelers lose in the playoffs, the talk will be about how the team went on a slide after starting 9-3 and how much the major injuries played a role. If they win it all this year then the story will be about how they overcame the significant injuries on a memorable run through the playoffs.

The injury bug has hit the Steelers hard this season

This has certainly been a particularly bad year for the health of Steelers players. Currently, the Steelers have seven players on injured reserve. Losing any player for the season is usually a big deal, but each of these players had an important role with the team.

It is losses like the one the Steelers suffered today that make you wonder that identity that a team has. Usually by this point in the season, you know what teams are all about. It seems like the Steelers went from a team with an identity to one without as the season wore on. Their inconsistency is a bit baffling and you can’t really get a read on what their deal is. That said, here are a few observations from the game:

• I’m not saying giving up so many rushing yards was all because Aaron Smith was not in, but it makes you wonder, doesn’t it? We’ve said all along that losing Smith was going to be huge and this proves it. You can’t say that it was all because Smith wasn’t there but you can certainly say it had a lot to do with it…

• …but whatever it was, the defense just looked anything but the best in the league today. The Jaguars’ two running backs are very talented, but their offense isn’t exactly known for tearing up opposing defenses. But the Steelers got torn up badly. The stats speak for themselves: 421 total yards, 147yards and a TD for Fred Taylor, 69 yards for Maurice Jones-Drew, and three TD’s for David Garrard.
   
  This wasn’t the Patriots or the ’99 Rams that they played against. In the past it wasn’t often that you would see the Steelers get out-muscled, something that has really become an identity for the team. But it has happened numerous of times this season. Quite honestly, when the Steelers aren’t pounding the ball and playing tough, physical defense it just feels wrong. That’s who they are and what they do… at least it used to be.

• This team just makes no sense this season. You just don’t know if they are good or bad. They’ve had some bad losses, but any team that has already won nine games can’t be all that bad. They have (had?) the number one defense in the league- yet they have given up real stinkers like this game where they let the Jags put up over 400 yards of total offense. Willie Parker leads the league in rushing, but has had some pitiful games, and in of all those yards he hasn’t been able to provide any of those game changing runs that he has in seasons past.
   
  Even in the losses and close wins they’ve been hard to classify. In both this game and last week against the Patriots they’ve had moments where they’ve looked brilliant, then looked horrible. The Denver game they beat themselves but still made a come back and almost won. They played poorly in the last Browns game but battled back to win. They almost won again today. They show both flashes of a great team and flashes or a horrible one.
   
  Who are these Steelers? What is their identity?

• As much as I hate to agree with Dan Dierdorf, I do agree when he said that Ben Roethlisberger was giving it his all out there. He’s done that a lot this season and I believe he is really emerging as a leader. He has nearly single-handedly won some games this season and almost led them on another one today.
   
  Also, congratulations to Ben on throwing 29 touchdown passes this season, which breaks Terry Bradshaw’s record of 28. He’s having a heck of a season and he appears on pace to be one of the all-time greats, even if few outside of Steelers Nation give him the respect he deserves.

• The offensive line was back to its old tricks again. They gave up five sacks and looked shaky. Particularly Marvel Smith. I’m not sure if he is still hurting or not, but he had a pretty bad game against a back ups. In fact, I believe the Steelers pulled him on the last few drives. Again, I’m not sure if that was because his back was acting up again or because of his play.
   
  Max Starks was once the scapegoat of the line, but it seems like he possibly playing better then Marvel has been. Max, overall, has held his own over the past few games and if Marvel is hurt and/or just playing poorly, maybe it is time to give Max another shot.
   
  Honestly, at this point something has to happen. I’m not sure if the answer to fixing the line lies within the players we currently have, but they’ve got to figure something out fast.

• The two-point conversion that the Steelers ran was actually a nice call for once by Bruce Arians. I give Cedrick Wilson a lot of knocks, but that was a pretty nice ball he threw to Santonio Holmes. At least two point conversions is one thing the Steelers have done right this year.

• Why do the Steelers seem to run a draw play on every third and very long this year? How successful is it really? I know sometimes you can catch a team off guard with it, but when you run it nearly every time you have about 15 or more yards to go then they probably expect it. I don’t have a problem with the play, just that you can do it every time. Try taking some shots down field.

• It was nice to Troy Polamalu back in action. I, as well as others, have commented on his lack of big plays this season, but today showed that a lot of his contributions are just making plays (tackles, knocking the ball down) at opportune times. He may not be getting the interceptions or sacks, but he’s a ball-hawk and is usually in the right place at the right time. He wasn’t perfect, but at least he was one guy out there that appeared to be giving it his all.

I think I’ve ended all my recaps after losses this season with a lot of optimism and saying that the sky isn’t falling. I’m not so sure I feel as strongly right now. The sky isn’t falling, and I think the Steelers will in fact win the division still. But I don’t think right now that this team is giving any indication that they have it together enough to put together a Super Bowl run. Something just feels off about them, doesn’t it?
 
I’m asking you, Steelers fans, what’s wrong with the Steelers right now?

Here’s a look at seven questions the Steelers have heading into Sunday’s game against Jacksonville:

How will Ben Roethlisberger’s shoulder injury affect his play?

Ben finally returned to practice on Friday after sitting out the two previous days. He has shown the ability to play with injuries in the past, though not always quite effectively. With such a big game, everyone is going to have to be in top form. Ben’s play has been the difference in a lot of close games this year so they really need him to be on point.

How badly will Aaron Smith be missed?

The injury to Aaron Smith has the potential to be a big one. The 3-4 defense all starts with the big men up front, and Aaron is one of the best in the league. Travis Kirschke and Nick Eason are OK in a pinch, but their potential to be long-term fill ins is very questionable. Injuries are part of life in the NFL and championship teams suck it up and get through them. The back ups are really going to have to step it up to fill Aaron’s shoes.

Can the defense get back on track after getting whooped last week?

The Jaguars aren’t an offensive juggernaut, but they have two very talented backs in Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew. Normally the Steelers don’t fear any running back, but they did give up their first 100 rusher in 35 games a few weeks ago. Not to mention, David Garrard is very accurate and has only thrown one interception in 10 starts this season…

What about Troy?

…Which leads to the next question- what impact will Troy Polamalu returning have on the defense? Those saying the secondary perhaps performs better without Troy in there where were shown they should be cautious saying that after what Tom Brady did to Anthony Smith and Tyrone Carter last week. In crunch time and in the playoffs, Troy’s athleticism and experience are going to be needed to help keep opposing offenses in check. Troy has struggled a bit this season, but now that he is healthier will he regain his form?

Is Willie back?

Last week Willie Parker rushed for over 100 yards, his first since week 10. He currently leads the league in rushing but has struggled a bit during the second half of the season. He finally had a couple of long runs against the Patriots and looked more like his old self. Can he carry the momentum against a tough Jaguars defense?

Has the offensive line finally gotten it’s stuff together?

The line looked terrible for much of the season, but has performed markedly better in the last three weeks. Are they finally coming together as a unit and defending the schemes that teams used to beat them? Or was it more of a coincidence with two of the games played in bad weather and teams focusing more on coverage then pressure? Either way, they’ve had a good streak going that they can use to build upon. I don’t think we’ll ever be able to not worry about the line this season (and the immediate future for that matter), but at least they have shown some progress.

Just how well is Santonio Holmes’ ankle holding up?

Santonio finally returned to action last week, but only saw limited time. He has mentioned that his ankle is still sore, but he doesn’t anticipate missing any more time this season because of it. If healthy, he will go a long way toward helping the Steelers get some big plays on the stingy Jag’s defense. He was turning into an exciting deep threat this season but his injuries have really slowed him down just when things were getting exciting. Will his ankle injury keep him down for the rest of the year?

This is a big game for the Steelers, with lots of playoff implications. In fact, given how close the teams are in the standings, you could argue that this game is more important than the Patriots game was (especially now since the Steelers lost that game and some of their lead in the AFC North.) It figures to be a physical and exciting game, and another one that might be played in poor weather with a chance for some snow. It should be a fun one.

After watching the game last night I have two questions- Did you hear that Anthony Smith guaranteed that the Steelers won? Yeah, I thought so. But more seriously, what happened in the second half there?

They had ‘em. Things felt pretty good at half-time, didn’t they? The Steelers were showing heart and despite blown coverage on one play, they were right in the game. Too bad they never scored again after the half.

• This was another game where I was left scratching my head a bit over some of Bruce Arian’s playcalling, specifically at the goal-line in the fourth quarter. The shovel pass to Hines Ward was not bad and got them to the one. But after that, I’m not sure why we didn’t see Najeh Davenport come in and pound the ball. He has shown to be very reliable in short yardage this season. So why give it to Hines to try and run in? Arians just gets too cutesy sometimes.

• Speaking of that goal-line stand, why was there no defensive holding called on Rodney Harrison on the fade pass to Santonio Holmes? It seemed like a pretty clear call. There was also that third down on the Steelers’ first drive where Mike Vrabel seemed to jump offsides before the snap but was not penalized. Both instances would have given the Steelers more cracks at getting into the endzone.
   
  I don’t think you can ever use the officiating as an excuse, but it is still very frustrating. Especially against a team like the Pats where for whatever reason (them making it happen, or luck, or whatever you want to say) the ball just seems to bounce their way… like the punt bouncing straight into William Gay’s crotch on that one play.

• I think one play summed up the game and playing this year’s Patriots in general- Under ten minutes to go in the 4th, Partiots have a 2nd down and two yards to go. James Harrison is defending Kevin Faulk, who is lined up as a receiver in the slot. Harrison reads the play perfectly, and is ready to pounce as Tom Brady turns and fires a quick pass to Faulk right after the snap… only Harrison slips and falls down and Faulk gets the first down. That’s just the way things were going.

• Anyone else put off by that announcement during the game that CBS partnered with the Patriots to build some upcoming complex at or near Gillette Stadium? I guess we’ll have to wait for more details, but something about the network that shows the AFC games partnering with the Patriots rubs me the wrong way.

• I wasn’t happy that the Steelers ran out the clock to end the game. I’m of the mind that you keep going, even when it is obvious you’re not going to win. With just under two minutes left, why not keep throwing and try to get a score? I don’t see that as cheap. It is not giving up and going out fighting. Running the clock out was the same as holding up a white flag.

• I’m wondering what those who had no problem with Anthony Smith’s comments think now. The problem wasn’t so much that he made a guarantee, but that you have to be smart about what you say. Any slip, and it gets blown out of proportion. The proof was all there- it got mentioned 8,000 times before the game, 5,000 during the game, obviously discussed on the field by the players, and chanted by the fans.
   
  Not to mention Anthony Smith had a horrible game and ended up looking pretty foolish. Hopefully he was humbled a bit, but his comments after the game about it being taken out of context make me think otherwise. Sure, they may have been, but at this point he just needs to eat some humble pie and move on.

• I don’t have a problem with a quarterback being emotional or fired up, but Tom Brady getting in Anthony Smith’s face annoyed me. It was the fact that Brady and the Patriots as a whole acted all week like they were above trash talking and things of that nature. Then you saw Brady’s true colors during the game. Again, I don’t have a problem with trash talking during the game, but then don’t turn around and act like you are above it.
   
  I absolutely loved the bump that James Harrison gave him, though. I can’t say I would have minded if he body slammed Brady like he did to that Browns fan. But Brady had a great game and is having a record season, so it is hard to talk smack about him; at least his play. I still think after all these years that Bill Belichick’s villainous demeanor has rubbed off on him, however.

• Ben Roethlisberger still had a good game. He made good decisions with the ball and the offense still moved fairly well. It was also refreshing seeing Willie Parker actually getting runs longer then 2 or 3 yards again. But the offense just ended up stalling out; something that has been an issue all season. You just can’t keep settling for field goals, especially when you are at or near the goal line. It has happened a lot more then it should be. I think a lot of it has to do with the above mentioned Arians’ playcalling.

• On a last note, the offensive line played pretty well all things considered. I’ve called them out enough over the season when they’ve been horrible so it is worth mentioning when they did OK. That’s two weeks in a row now and hopefully they are on their way to coming together.

It is a loss but the sky is not falling. I think I’ve written that line after each loss, but it needs to be repeated. We’re a super-passionate fans base in both wins and losses, so we can go a bit crazy. But now that we’ve had some time to catch our breaths, we need to place this in perspective.

The Steelers did show, at times, that they do have what it takes to beat the Patriots. It is in there somewhere, but things fell apart. If these teams met again, when it is all on the line, the Steelers have a pretty solid chance. Even with the loss, they are still in lead of the division and on the road to the playoffs. History is on their side in proving that things are far from over just yet.

It wasn’t pretty, but it worked. The Steelers have had a lot of ugly games lately, haven’t they? Fortunately they’ve won most of them, but that doesn’t make them any less concerning. They had some bad penalties, turnovers, and close calls. But the defense really stepped up and shut down the Bengals offense, no matter how hard the Steelers offense tried to let them back in the game.

• The Steelers continued to struggle getting started. Even in some of their best games they’ve started out very slow; on both offense and defense. But the team really picked it up as the first half wore on. They are going to have to start games faster because against better opponents they could find themselves 14 or more points down before they know it.

• As great punts that Daniel Sepulveda has had this season, he has had some real stinkers as well. I think I mentioned him in my recaps every week for the first 8 or so, but he’s come back down to earth a little. He really helped the team out last week with field position, but was a bit shaky again last night. He closed the game out a lot better then he started, however. I am willing to cut the guy some slack right now because he is a rookie. I think he’s going to be a great punter for the Steelers, but he obviously still has some consistency to work on.

• That Ben Roethlisberger run for a touchdown in the first half was so reminiscent of the Super Bowl run he had. I was holding my breath as the Steelers lined up for the extra point as I waited to see if Marvin Lewis would challenge it. I am really surprised that he didn’t. I can’t say for sure that Ben got the ball over. I’m not complaining or anything obviously, but from the limited replays they showed of it I think Lewis could have won a challenge, or at least it would have been worth the try. (By the way, it was great to see Ben run it there instead of trying to force a throw).

• Willie Parker’s fumbles were a huge disappointment. He tied for the most fumbles for running backs last season with six and he seems to be continuing the trend here. He got lucky on the first and third fumbles as they were reviewed to not be, but they were both very close (especially the third). To me he still lost control of the ball on each play and whether it was official or not he still fumbled.

  Also, how does Willie come out again right after the third (non)fumble then be so careless with the ball and lose it again? The review didn’t save him on the fourth. I know it was wet, but losing the ball four times is unacceptable, especially losing the ball on two plays in a row.

• The Steelers’ secondary was solid after a slow start. It seems like they used the same game plan this time as in the last game. I remember James Harrison said some time after that game that they purposely didn’t do as much blitzing (presumably to help with coverage). Whatever it was, it worked. I know a lot of fans have been upset that the team hasn’t had a lot of interceptions, but they aren’t giving up a lot of big yards either. That works for me.

• In fact, the whole defense was great. That four-down goal line stand late in the fourth quarter after Ben’s interception was a thing of beauty. In fact, the way the Steelers offense was playing late in the game, they came up huge, holding the Bengals after the fumbles and interception. James Farrior was constantly in the right place at the right time. Clark Haggans was getting pressure. Brett Keisel was batting down balls. It was great to watch.

• Good thing the Bengals are still the Bungals. They had some bad plays, in particular two in the 4th. They had a safety taken away by defensive holding call, and an off-sides on a Steelers punt gave them a first down. There’s nothing like watching the Bengals do themselves in.

• Two of the the Steelers’ weak spots played pretty well last night and deserve mention- the offensive line and the kick coverage unit. The line gave Ben time and gave up no sacks. It was good to see them bounce back and usual scape-goat Max Starks was actually solid in place of Marvel Smith. On the special teams side, the Steelers went back to normal kick offs (instead of pooch kicks) and contained the returns. They also did well covering punts.

• Man, wasn’t it great to see T.J. Houshmandzadeh so frustrated out there? I loved seeing him sulking on the bench at the end of the game. Also, is it me or did it seem like Chad Johnson didn’t realize it was fourth down on the Bengals’ last play?

• Congratulations to Hines Ward for grabbing his 64th career touchdown reception to put him in the lead all-time for the Steelers. He beat out two Hall of Famers in John Stallworth and Lynn Swann. Do you think Hines will be voted into the Hall of Fame? I’d like to think so but you never know with the voters.

The win was huge last night, especially because the Browns lost earlier. They are in fairly good shape heading into Foxboro next week. We’ll have to see how the injuries play out and who will be ready to go. They are probably about as ready as they’ll ever be to face the Pats. I think they’ve got a good shot but as Hines said after the game, each player is going to have to bring their A game.

Steelers’ MVP
This week I am giving the MVP to Hines Ward. It was close between him and the defense, but I have to give it to Hines because of how big he was catching on third downs and also because of his record-setting day. Congrats to Hines on the Steelers’ record for touchdown receptions.

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The Steelers have placed fullback Dan Kreider on injured reserve today, according to the Post Gazette. Kreider hyper-extended his knee in Monday night’s game against the Dolphins. (Update: The injury is now being described as a torn ACL)

The move is especially upsetting to those of us who were calling for Kreider to see more action to help with the run blocking and pass protection. It is also shocking considering Mike Tomlin said yesterday at his press conference that he thought Kreider might even be able to play this Sunday.

The Steelers filled the open roster spot with tight end Jon Dekker who was previously on their practice squad.

I’m not too happy with this news. I was really hoping we’d see more of Kreider now with the line performing so poorly and the Carey Davis experiment not really working well. Now that Kreider is done for the year, his status with the team is in serious doubt. Has anyone else gotten the feeling that Krieder did not fit into Tomlin and Arians’ plans right from the start?

I think the team held on to him because of his talent, but with how little they’ve used him (especially as time went on and it became apparent that he could really help) really shows the direction the offense has been headed in. I don’t know, after seeing the result so far, I still love big ole Dan leading the way for Willie.

I think most Steelers fan would agree that there are some positional changes that could be made on the team right now. Former head coach Bill Cowher wasn’t known to be one who often switched out under-performing players, especially veterans. He was a “players coach” who was often loyal to his players, sometimes to a fault. That is why I am interested in seeing what Mike Tomlin will do.

It is never an easy decision to bench or move a player. Without a doubt, it is a fine line. You don’t want to overreact and pull someone too soon. But after 11 weeks, I think that you have a good idea about who is under-performing and who might have just had a bad game or two.

The first player that needs a look is Allen Rossum. I called for Willie Reid getting a shot last week, but it didn’t happen. There’s more of a real chance for it this week, however, as Reid should be active on gameday due to Santonio Holmes‘ injury. I think that it is time for a spark on returns and it is worth the risk of trying Reid, especially against the Dolphins.

The other glaring spot is the offensive line. It is the one position where you don’t really say you’re bringing someone in to provide a spark; it is not a very spark-y position. You kind of know what you have who does what best. The concern is that I’m not sure the Steelers have any special guy waiting in the wings, just begging to get his shot. The Steelers OL backups are: Trai Essex, Chris Kemoeatu, Darnell Stapleton, Marvin Philip, and Max Starks. Not exactly a who’s who of rising OL stars.

As far as the starters, Sean Mahan just isn’t getting it done and should probably be the focus right now. Marvel Smith and Alan Faneca might not be playing their best but I don’t think they should be benched, because who would take their place? I like Willie Colon and while his inexperience shows, I think he is a very solid player in the making. With Mahan, you can say he is still learning but I would have hoped that he would be further along at this point. That is not to say he might not be good at another position. In fact, I would think that he would be headed that way after this season. But is it worth trying before then?

I’ll freely admit that I am no expert on offensive line mechanics, but I do know enough to realize that switching positions is not cut and dry, especially in the middle of the season. The team thought highly enough of Darnell Stapleton to keep him on their 53 man roster to start the season. Would they be confident enough in him to give him a shot? They then might give Mahan a turn at right guard, or even try Kendall Simmons at center, where he does have a little experience. How viable is all this? Maybe not very much, but I am just throwing some things out there.

Also, what about fullback? Count me in with the group of people that were high on Carey Davis after the pre-season. I did not, however, feel that he should be replacing Dan Kreider and I feel even more strongly about that today. Carey Davis is not getting the job done blocking, and his versatility ( the supposed reason he was playing ahead of Kreider) has yet to really have any impact.

Running out of three tight end sets has been very slow going, especially with rookie Matt Spaeth’s poor blocking. The biggest issue facing the team presently is that they can’t pass block, and really haven’t been doing great run blocking either. So why not bring back the guy who specializes in it? If you can’t protect your quarterback, bring in the guy who is basicially another offensive lineman. Willie Parker has made it well-known he prefers running behind Krieder as well.

The point is that there are changes out there that can be made. I am not saying they are all great changes (well, except for putting Kreider back in, which I feel very strongly about). But it will be interesting to see if Tomlin is the type of coach that will make them. As I said earlier, it is a fine line of when to make a switch, but some changes might just be what the doctor ordered to help shore up some weaknesses.

What are some changes that you would like to see be made for the team to strengthen it self?

We expected this might happen, right? That vaunted Jets run-stuffing defense would stop the running game and get pressure on Ben Roethlisberger. Actually, I don’t think anyone was thinking that, and again the Steelers failed to win at the line of scrimmage. The last time the Steelers got beat in the trenches was their last loss, a game against the Broncos where they also failed to take advantage of the worst run stopping defense. You really can’t feel too good after a loss like this, and while the offensive line was the main disaster, as Coach Tomlin said after the game, “We win together, and we stink it up together”.

• The Steelers started right out with the pooch kick on the opening kick off. At first I looked at it as them having no confidence in their coverage unit (which is still true I suppose), but the more I thought about it, I decided that it isn’t such a bad strategy. Other teams have started doing it as well with guys like Devin Hester. Is it ideal? Not really as you’d rather stop them at least at the 20 yard line. But with the way the Steelers’ special teams have been playing and the way kick returns for touchdowns are on a record pace this season, maybe it isn’t a completely horrible compromise against the better returners.

• The Jets defense has been horrible against the run and the Steelers still couldn’t pound the rock. This wasn’t like the Broncos game either, where the Steelers faked themselves out by trying to pass more– they actually really tried to run it this game and failed badly. There’s been some questioning now on Steelers’ forums of whether or not Willie Parker is any good, etc. Look, he is good. But a game like yesterday played into his weakness. If the offensive line is struggling, he is not going to be one to either make guys miss or knock people over. It is just not something he is great at…

• …which is why, I presume, the Steelers have a guy like Najeh Davenport as their number two back, ready to come in to games like this one. In fact, they did try Najeh and he had a bit of success. At least he was getting three or so yards a pop. I didn’t mind them putting Willie back in later on, but the one part I still can’t understand is why they didn’t use Najeh when it was his time to shine. He has been spectacular so far this season at getting yards at the end of games to help run the clock out. So why when the Steelers got the ball back on a Deshea Townsend interception did they try to run with Willie and not Najeh?
   
  When you absolutely need tough yards to run the clock out, and the other team knows you are going to be running it… are you going to go with the guy that has been struggling to get past the line of scrimmage all night, or do you give it to the guy who was born to push the pile and get tough yards? The Steelers chose Willie, went three and out, and gave the Jets the ball back with plenty of time left. The Jets then went down for the tying field goal (and came damn close to getting the winning touchdown too).

• Slow starts are really killing the Steelers this season. Even in some of their better games they started out slowly, especially on offense. These past two games the defense got in on it as well. The defense did play better in the second half, at least enough to allow the offense to come back. Though they again couldn’t come up with a big play on the last drive of a game, allowing the Jets to boot the game tying field goal.
   
  Not to mention they gave up their first 100+ yard rusher in 34 games. Did that sneak up on anyone else as well? I didn’t even realize Thomas Jones was that close until the announcers mentioned it. It is a bummer to have the streak snapped, but at the same time it isn’t the end of the world. Like I said earlier, despite them not playing particularly like the #1 defense in the league, they still did just enough to win the game.

• I am hesitant to lump the Steelers’ punt in over time into the “another example of how the Steelers’ kick coverage blows” category only because I think the real problem on that play was the awful punt by Daniel Sepulveda. It was really set up by his short kick. He’s had some poor punts lately. I’m not sure what happened. He could do no wrong to start the season.
   
  In fact, it seems like almost everything we held the Steelers in such high praise for to start the season has done a complete 180. Sepulveda’s been unimpressive. After a touchdown and signs he might have been a huge pick up for the Steelers, Allen Rossum’s returns have been pitiful. Willie Parker and the Steelers’ run game looked unstoppable, but after leading the league in rushing Willie has had only 199 yards on 69 attempts in the last three games, for an average of 2.9 yards a carry. Their usually smothering defense has seemed a bit leaky and absent at times. The Steelers seemed trapped in bizarro world.

• All that and I still haven’t gotten to the main culprit last night. So without further ado, the offensive line. I know that the whole team had bad plays, and some bad penalties. But it happens most games; rarely does a team put on a perfect performance on all phases of the game. But at least everyone else did well enough at times. With even a little better performance by the line, they could have won the game. The case has usually been that if the line isn’t the best at pass protection, at least they can run block. They couldn’t even do that yesterday.
   
  They simply got manhandled by the Jets. They couldn’t open holes and they couldn’t give Ben time. The rare times that Ben had a moment, he seemed to have no where to throw to anyway (though I guess that one isn’t the line’s fault). The numbers speak for themselves- Ben was sacked seven times, and Steelers’ runners had only 112 yards on 33 attempts.
   
  Heck, if Ben wasn’t such an escape artist, he might be rivaling David Carr’s record of being sacked 76 times in a season. Or at least the team would probably be no better then .500 right now.
   
  It is cliche and I’ve said it a number of times already myself- but the team is only going as far as the offensive line takes them. If this isn’t proof that the big guys up front just might be the most important part of the offense then I don’t know what is. If the offensive line doesn’t figure something out then the Steelers have all the making of a one and done playoff team.

• OK, now to catch our breath on this last point. It is OK. The Steelers still have only lost three games. They were all games that they should have won, but they were also all games that the were in position to win. It was bad losing to the Jets, but better them then the Browns last week or the Ravens, or the Bengals, etc. Yes, they have weaknesses and a lot to work on. But so do most teams not called the New England Patriots. In fact, I think the only reason that some many people are so down on the team today even though they are 7-3, is that the Patriots are playing at such a high level.
   
  We can’t compare this team to the Patriots right now. No team is currently in their class. In fact, I’m not convinced that the Steelers beating them in three weeks is super important. Ideal yes, but not the end of the world if they don’t. The real time to compare the Steelers to beat the Patriots is if/when they meet up in the playoffs. Right now, the Steelers have to concentrate on shoring up and winning the games that they are suppose to win. Obviously they didn’t do a great job of that yesterday, but fortunately they are in a position to be able to get right back up and get on track. Don’t dump on the team just yet, there’s still so much left to be played.

It wasn’t perfect, but it was a win. The offense and defense recovered from shaky starts to complete the 15 point comeback and take a strong lead in the AFC North, despite the best efforts of the special teams to prevent it. The Josh Cribbs 100 yard kick off return was one of the worst special teams displays in recent memory. But still, the Steelers showed a lot of character in pulling out the win today.

• I’ll start with this because it is freshest on my mind, but did anyone catch Mike Tomlin’s post-game press conference? He called out his special teams and said the offense still has room for improvement. I like that; I like that a lot. Mike Tomlin will tell it like it is, which is a refreshing change.

• …But the point about the special teams is the real focus. They did stink. I am openly wondering now if we will ever see the Steelers have good kick coverage again in our lifetimes. It has been a huge problem for years now- especially on kicks after the Steelers had a big score. Doesn’t it seem over the years that when the Steelers have a big game-changing touchdown, one of three things happens 1) Jeff Reed kicks it out of bounds, 2) Reed kicks it very short, or 3) They give up a huge return. Nothing sucks up momentum more then something like that.

• This was another one of those games where the offense kind of snuck up on you. It seemed like the running game was going no where, but Willie Parker did go over 100 yards (for the 19th time in his career). Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t on the money, but he threw for two scores and ran for another. The offensive line gave up four sacks, but at times (stressing “at times”) Ben had great protection. The offense moved the ball with relative ease in the second half, but got held to three field goals in the first half.

• One thing was clear, however. Ben was great again and added another comeback to his career. I brought it up last week and I will say it again- Ben is an elite quarterback and right now is at least in the top three of the league. He still has his unique talent of making plays out of nothing, but this season he is also making the great plays a “typical” QB does. Ben is just a winner, plain and simple.

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