Steelers Report Card vs. the Jets @ Heinz Field

From the grade book of a teacher who cannot deny that his star pupil performs better at home here is Pittsburgh's report card for the Steelers victory over the Jets. Remember, as a caveat, no other grades were consulted prior this posting.

Quarterback
After being a little rusty out of the gate, Ben Roethlisberger started throwing with lethal efficiency. And again, he excelled when it counted on third downs. Todd Haley seems to be finding a balance between calling and designing plays that get the ball out of Ben’s hands quickly while letting Ben be Ben. The results -- 75% completion rate, two touchdown passes, and a 13 minute time of possession edge -- speak for themselves. Grade: A-

Running Back
There's no sugar coating the rushing stats -- they're anemic. Consistency eluded both  Issac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer. But that only improved their focus, and by the end of the game, both were burning off precious minutes from the clock by grinding out extra yards with second and third efforts. Baron Batch blocked well but he and Chris Rainey went nowhere with their carries. Grade: C-

Wide Receiver
Another week, another outstanding performance from the entire unit. Antonio Brown had a fabulous game making some of his near-impossible catches. Mike Wallace both caught passes in traffic and hurt the Jets downfield. Emmanuel Sanders was a force underneath. Heath Miller just catches touchdowns. Jerricho Cotchery made a very tough catch that put the Steelers on the one. Will Johnson had another catch. Grade: A

Offensive Line
For the first time in memory the unit suffered no injuries, which we must hail as an accomplishment. Ben Roethlisberger got good protection, "only" suffering three sacks (a high number elsewhere in the NFL). The run blocking on the other hand was atrocious. One out of four times they were handed the ball, Steelers running backs got tackled for a loss, which really isn't their fault. Run blocking must improve. Grade: C

Defensive Line
The defensive line started very weak against the run in the first quarter. But they picked up the slack well enough that the Jets couldn’t or didn’t attempt to run late. The unit neither made splash plays nor got into Sanchez’ face, but they did occupy New York’s offensive line, freeing the defense to make plays. Cameron Heyward closed the game with a sack.  Grade:  C

Linebackers
He’s going to get fined for it, but you can trace the change in tempo of this game to Lawrence Timmons hit of Mark Sanchez. LaMarr Woodley’s sack on the Jet’s first possession of the second half nipped any inkling of a New York comeback in the bud. Larry Foote was “quiet” in that he simply was the number two tackler. The unit was strong in run support and made its opportunities vs. the quarterback count. Grade:  B

Secondary
Between the penalties and the catches the first quarter made it look like Santonio Holmes was going to own Ike Taylor. But Taylor persisted and shut ‘Tone down for the duration. You didn’t hear Cortez Allen or Kennan Lewis’ names mentioned much, and which means they were doing their jobs. And what about Ryan Clark? Clearly this is a far different, and far better secondary with him playing. Welcome back Ryan. Grade: A-

Special Teams
Shaun Suisham was 2-2 from 45 yards out and his kickoffs were deep. Has this kid built up his leg strength? Drew Butler again punted well. DeMarcus Van Dyke forced a turnover on a punt return. Chris Rainey and Antonio Brown did well in the return game and the Jets got nothing on punt returns, although the Steelers could have covered kickoffs better. Grade:  B+ 

Coaching
Want to beat the Steelers? You’d score fast. Its still very early, but Todd Haley has thus far shown a ball-control focused offense the late Ron Earhardt would envy. Take away his two former Defensive Players of the Year and Dick LeBeau will merely hold your quarterback to three completions for 2 and a half quarters. Seriously, the main “adjustment” was the Steelers secondary settling down and communicating better, but players on the field can only do that if they’re well prepared, and Dick LeBeau had his players prepped. There are 14 more games to go, but no one is missing Al Everest.

Unsung Hero
The Steelers so thoroughly dominated the numbers of this game that no one will remember that they were behind until late in the second quarter. But with 4:23 left to play Ben Roethlisberger called a time out after a one yard run by Jonathan Dwyer and an incomplete pass left the Steelers at 3 and 9 on their 39. The target of Ben’s next two passes converted with a 10 yard catch and then followed with a 19 yard catch to put the Steelers in the Red Zone. That target’s name wasn’t Wallace or Brown, but his contributions were just as important to the Steelers victory, and that’s why Emmanuel Sanders is Steel Curtain Rising’s Unsung Hero of the Jets game.

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Mike Tomlin Channels His Internal Ric Flair

Mike Tomlin's coaching lineage traces directly back to Chuck Noll via Tony Dungy. Tomlin, however, has never been the stoic that Chuck Noll was but his reaction yesterday to Isaac Redman's touchdown over the New York Jets was far more characteristic of something you'd see out of Bill Cowher.

In case you missed it check it out (available as of 9/17/12):


More than Bill Cowher, Tomlin appears to be channeling his internal Ric Flair! And Steelers Nation never knew he had it in him!

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Steelers Defeat Jets 27-10 at Heinz Field

The Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets have a rich history. While the two franchises are far from being rivals, they’ve squared off in many high-stakes games, which have often gone to the wire with dramatic finishes.

The Steelers home opener of the 2012 season however, was a tale of one and three quarters.

Picking up Where They Left Off….

Much has been made of the age of the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. And, if the “Old and Slow” motif had a lot less to do with the loss in Denver than is commonly understood, it’s a perception that the Steelers will need to fight until some of their younger defenders begin to deliver consistently.

Yet its also a useful metaphor for understanding the Steelers defense because it began the game just as it had finished against Denver – allowing the opposing offense to go the length of the field and looking tentative doing it.

• The Steelers offense was likewise slow out of the gate, settling for long field goals not even threatening to score touchdowns.

Yes, it may have been a bright sunny day in Heinz Field, but the Steelers collectively looked ever bit like an old Chevy struggling warm up on a cold Monday morning as they built up an edge in time of possession while the Jets built up a 10-6 midway during the second quarter.

But it was during the self-same Jets field goal drive that things began to change. A series of penalties, and smart running plays, brought New York down to Pittsburgh’s 19. Mark Sanchez had already miss fired several times on this drive, and in the red zone he was worse – in fact he didn’t complete a pass during the entire second quarter.

Steelers Warm Up and Get Humming

With 6:43 remaining in the second half, Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers down the field with surgical precision hitting five receivers.

By the time he hit Heath Miller on a fade route in the corner of the end zone, the Steelers were up by three and had consumed 5:40 off the clock.

• And unlike the Broncos game, this momentum shift was for real.

It would be deceptive to say that the Steelers defensive performance during the second half evoked memories of ones put on by the 2008 and 2010 defenses. There were no turnovers, and only a few “Splash” plays.

But the unit made plays when it counted, LaMarr Woodley’s sack of Sanchez that forced the Jets to punt away their first possession being one such example.

Thus far, Todd Haley’s offense has been characterized more for its efficient ball-control ability rather than for its physicality or fireworks. In their first possession of the second half Ben Roethlisberger and Todd Haley showed they weren’t afraid to air it out, as Ben Roethlisberger rocketed a 37 yard bomb to Mike Wallace in the end zone, putting the Steelers up 20-10.

Closing Out with a Workman Like Performance  

The Steelers closed out the remaining quarter with a workman like performance. A look at the stat sheet might lead one to wonder why the Steelers final margin wasn’t higher, but penalties buried the Steelers deep on several drives, including one drive that featured a 2nd and 30 and a 3rd and 32 situation (the record will reflect that Antonio Brown had a 25 yard catch and run in that situation that allowed Drew Butler to pin them back into their territory.)

Other signs of hope included:

• Santonio Holmes abused Ike Taylor early in the game, but Taylor kept him quiet after the first quarter
• The Steelers running looked absolutely anemic at times, but both Redman and Dwyer showed a lot of fight, and ground out yards when the Steelers needed them to
• The offensive line managed to stay healthy for an entire game and protected Roethlisberger well
• For his part, Roethlisberger (and perhaps Haley) showed that Ben can be Ben while not holding on the ball too long

The Steelers run defense, however, leaves a lot to be desired. The Jets would have been wise to try to run more, yet fortunately they kept trying to let Sanchez win the game for them.

The biggest difference in the defense however, was Ryan Clark. Clark was all over the field tackling people in the backfield and breaking up passes. Clark’s hit on Ike Taylor’s phantom pass interference call provided a text book example of how you can still hit hard while staying in the rules.

Steelers Closing in on Their Identity?

Both Bill Cowher preached and Mike Tomlin preaches that a team finds its identity in the first 4-6 games of a season.

• The ’08 team showed that it could and it would deliver wherever and whenever the game was on the line
• The ’10 team revealed that it knew no bounds in over coming adversity

In contrast, the ’09 team exposed a chronic inability to close and atrocious special teams. The ’11 team disclosed that it was one team on the road, and another at home.

In the 2012 Pittsburgh Steelers have shown Steelers Nation a lot of different looks. That’s to be expected two games into the season.

If Pittsburgh’s workman-like performance against the Jets left room for improvement, the Steelers also gave signs that they were capable of taking the steps needed to grow improvement.

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Steelers vs. Jets Pre-Game: Harrison and Polamalu Out Injured

The Pittsburgh Steelers defense struggled mightly against Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos, with two of three units earning F’s on the Steelers Report Card.

This week they’ll face an inferior quarterback in Mark Sanchez, but they’ll also do it with out their twin Defensive Player of the year winners.

James Harrison, who is recovering from knee surgery, will miss a second consecutive game reports Ed Bouchette of the Post-Gazette, while Tory Polamalu will also sit out due to an injured calf.

Ryan Clark will rejoin the Steelers secondary, and Ryan Mundy is likely to get his second start. Ironically, Mundy got his first NFL start in Polamalu’s absence in a December match up the Steelers lost to the Jets.

Essex Whisked Away, Steelers Stand Pat on the Offensive Line

Even before Ramon Foster and Marcus Gilbert suffered injuries vs. the Broncos, everyone expected the Steelers to make a roster move and resign Trai Essex. Yours truly went so far as to predict that on Twitter.

However, Bruce Arians, who already “poached” Mewelde Moore invited another former Steeler into Hoosier territory. Essex accepted his offer, and is now a member of the Indianapolis Colts.

The Steelers still could have made an additional move to bolster their offensive line, which only counts eight offensive lineman on the active squad at the moment, at least one below their "normal."

But they didn’t. Remarks by Kevin Colbert in the recent edition of Steelers Digest indicate that they think highly of Kelvin Becham, and perhaps the Steelers made the calculation that none of the available street free agent offensive lineman would add enough value to their team to sacrifice depth and/or a young prospect.

Or perhaps they’re just banking on the law of averages to protect them from yet another offensive line injury….

Steelers vs. Jets Preview Video

I don’t pretend to follow other NFL teams closely enough to offer detailed pregame assessments, but in this case that is not needed.

Neal Coolong of Behind the Steel Curtain (full disclosure, I also write for BTSC) has put together an excellent 6 minute video breaking down the key match ups that will dominate the Steelers-Jets game.


This is only the latest in a series of SB Nation videos produced by Michael Bean. Check them out on You Tube – and the good news is that they’re using authorized NFL footage, so no worry that Goodell’s YouTube police will make them disappear.

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Steelers Sign Jerricho Cotchery

The last time Jerricho Cotchery was at Heinz Field, he was catching passes from Mark Sanchez and putting the New York Jets within striking distance of pulling off one of the AFC Championship game’s biggest comebacks in history.



With the New York Jets focusing on more expensive toys, Cotchery’s final choice came down the Steelers and the Ravens.



Cotchery chose the Steelers yesterday, coming to terms with the team. He will not join the team for workouts until Sunday, however.



Terms of Cotchery’s deal were not disclosed, but one must expect that the signing came on the Steelers terms given that he left Latrobe without and offer only to return.



Roster Spots at Risk?



Cotchery provides immediate depth for the Steelers at wide out. Entering camp wide receiver appeared to be one of the Steelers strong points, but lingering nature of Emmanuel Sanders injury is cause for concern.



Limas Sweed, who separated his shoulder last week, did not figure to make the team barring a gang busters performance in the preseason, is the most threatened by Cotchery’s arrival. So too, however, are Arnz Battle and Tyler Grisham.



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