"Free Hernandez" Distraction Not Helpful to Steelers, Maurkice Pouncey

Heading into the 2010 NFL Draft the Pittsburgh Steelers had their sights firmly set on one man:  Maurkice Pouncey. Their infatuation with Pouncey was so strong that Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Steelers beat writer Ed Bouchette said and never wavered in his prediction that the Steelers would take Pouncey long before the draft.

Pouncey gave the Steelers a lot to like, from a talent, leadership and character perspective. The Steelers went ahead and selected Pouncey with their first round pick, and have not looked back since as Pouncey won the starting job in training camp pushing veteran Justin Hartwig out of both his starting slot and his job.

Pouncey has started every game he has been healthy for since 2010, including shifting to guard for the Steelers upset road victory over the Baltimore Ravens with Charlie Batch under center.

Lately Pouncey has been in the news, and not necessarily for the right reasons. Court documents indicate that Pouncey, along with twin brother Mike Pouncey in addition to Tim Tebow, were present several years ago with Aaron Hernandez at a party in Florida where an alleged shooting took place.

And just this past weekend the website Deadspin published photos of both Pouncey’s wearing “Free Hernandez” hats.

Let’s be clear on one thing:

• However damming the public evidence may be, Aaron Hernandez has been convicted of nothing.

And, from a certain standpoint, the desire of Pouncey to stand by a teammate is admirable.

Admirable or not, a more realistic perspective dictates that this is however one story which it is not wise to associate one’s self.

And clearly the Pittsburgh Steelers do not want or need one of their team leaders associated, even indirectly, associated with someone who is being implicated in multiple murders.

Clearly, the Steelers success or failure in 2013 has little to do whatever type of hat Maurkice Pouncey wears while at a private birthday party. But an unwanted distraction it is especially with training camp around the corner.

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Steelers Report Card vs. the Ravens @ M&T Stadium

Taken from the grade book of a teach who has just seen yet again live out the all important lesson of believing in themselves, here is the Steelers report card for their upset win over the Baltimore Ravens. As a caveat, no other Steeler report cards were consulted prior to this posting.

Quarterback
Yes, Charlie Batch overthrew Mike Wallace in the end zone. Yes, he threw to Ed Reed in the end zone. Yes, his missed other throws that could have helped the team. But the stat sheet doesn’t detail Batch’s block on Dwyer’s touchdown. It camouflages the 8-8 performance after the interception. It fails to reveal the poise and focus that let him lead the Steelers to 10 4th quarter points. Steel Curtain Rising’s report card grades on performance and results. While Batch’s numbers might not have been excellent, the results were. Grade: A-

Running Backs
Measured purely by the stats, the Steelers running backs had a weak day. But if numbers don’t lie, they sometimes disguise the truth. Against the Ravens the Pittsburgh Steelers running backs ran the ball when they needed to. Jonathan Dwyer’s 16 yard TD confirmed that Pittsburgh was playing to win. Isaac Redman’s 24 yard run was equally impressive and helped set the tone for the 4th quarter. Grade:  B+

Wide Receivers
Yes, Mike Wallace dropped one he should have caught. Yes, Emmanuel Sanders fumble was costly and could have been lethal. But Sander’s atoned by making a key catch to set up the tying touchdown. And Wallace was Mr. dependable on the final drive. Under appreciated in all of this is Heath Miller who made clutch catch after clutch catch, and whose touchdown was a testament to will and focus. Antonio Brown also played well.  Grade:  B+

Offensive Line
Another game, another starting front five for the Steelers, continuing a now three year theme. In run blocking the Steelers did not dominate the Ravens as they might have, but no one can fault their protection of Charlie Batch, who had time to throw all day. Maurkice Pouncey also played well as an out of position center. And how many coaches wouldn’t like to have a player with Doug Legursky’s versatility?  Grade:  B

Defensive Line
Ziggy Hood led the team in tackles, registered a sack, several tackles for a loss, and was spot on in the fumble recovery. He was the only member of the unit that stood out, and the Ravens did have success running the ball at times, although Flacco also found himself facing many third and long. Brett Keisel had 3 tackles. This unit had a solid night, but must bear some blame for Ray Rice’s TD.  Grade:  B

Linebackers
Larry Foote was all over the field making tackles on both sides of the line of scrimmage, sacking Flacco and pressuring him into bad throws. Jason Worilds had a quiet game, but did his part as did Lawrence Timmons. But the real star of the unit was number 92. As Mike Tomlin said after a hard-fought, close victory over the Bengals in 2010, “James makes plays, and he makes them in a timely fashion.” The Ed Reed interception should have doomed the Steelers, but Harrison’s strip sack shifted momentum right back to the Steelers.  Grade:  A-

Secondary
Joe Flacco tried to go deep to Tory Smith early in the game, and Ike Taylor broke it up. Then he left for the game. So Cam Cameron thought he might feast on sophomore cornerback Cortez Allen. Guess again, Cam. Allen was excellent in his first “start” breaking up 3 passes and given the Ravens no quarter. Keenan Lewis had another strong game. Ryan Clark pulled down an easy interception. And Troy Polamalu was back, blitzing early and then covering deep. Flacco did have one 31 yard pass, but overall failed multiple times going deep on a day when the Ravens were 3-11 on third downs. Grade:  A

Special Teams
Jacoby Jones did have one long one, but overall was a non-factor. Antonio Brown tried to return some punts he probably should not have, but did not hurt the team. But Chris Rainey had an under appreciated role in victory, as his 42 yard kickoff return set up the Steelers second field goal, allowing them to go into the half just 7 down. Drew Butler had a so-so day punting. 46, 41, and 42 – those were the distances of Shaun Suisham’s field goals, all of which were necessary all of which came outdoors in December, on a wet field, including the one to win the game with 3 seconds remaining.  Grade: B+

Coaching
The Ravens and Joe Flacco and the offense have been red hot at home. Yet Dick LeBeau kept him under 50% passing by playing to his weaknesses. Todd Haley devised a solid game plan to exploit Batch’s talents. While his attempt to go deep did not bear fruit, there’s no criticism here for taking shots down the field. But the real kudos here go to Mike Tomlin. The Steelers sorely lacked focus in their 8 turnover game to the Browns, and Tomlin shook up his roster. He and Haley also deserve credit for moving their Pro Bowl Center out of position. Pittsburgh won because they wanted it more, but all of that “want it” only mattered because the Steelers were focused, confident, and ready to persevere thanks to Tomlin. Grade:  A

Unsung Hero
Paul Kruger is playing extremely well this year, and if the Ravens defense is having an off year, it’s still better than many. Being asked to start your first NFL game going on the road to a team that has beaten you three times and shows now quarter is not easy. But this rookie 7th round draft pick embraced this challenge and lived up to Mike Tomlin’s “Standard” by delivering a winning performance for 60 minutes, and for Kelvin Beachum is the Unsung Hero of the Steelers-Ravens game.

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Batch, Steelers Roll Over Ravens in Their Own Roost, 23-20

Since 2000 the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have tested each other, often times with the AFC North crown in the balance at times the stakes have even been higher.

Each contest brings out the best in both teams, and almost without fail each contest comes down to one decisive element:

• Who can impose their will, physically
• Which team’s prime time players step up at a key moment
• How one coach out foxes out the others

And of course, these games have also been turned by freak turnovers and controversial calls. However, the December 2nd Steelers-Ravens game at M&T Stadium in Baltimore came down to something far more fundamental….

Next Man Up…

Let the record reflect that “The Standard is the Standard” in Pittsburgh, meaning that when one man goes down its expected that the next man stepping up delivers a winning performance.

With that said, the Steelers traveled to Baltimore down to their

• Third string right tackle
• Second string left outside linebacker
• Third string quarterback

To keep things interesting, after the game’s first play the Steelers lost their Pro Bowl cornerback, and during the course of the game the Steelers would have to move their Pro Bowl center to guard, a position he’s not played since college.

If the Baltimore Ravens ever wanted to get the Pittsburgh Steelers on their knees, this would have been the game.

Yet the Steelers traveled to Baltimore with no intention of begging for mercy. They came to play and they played to win.

Toe to Toe

Like all good Steelers-Ravens match ups this one was fought in the trenches where men’s resolve was put to the test. Any fantasy’s about an easy victory for Baltimore were quickly quashed as the Steelers scored first, and held Baltimore to a field goal for the much of the first quarter.

Then the Steelers secondary struck, with something it rarely does when Ryan Clark intercepted an errant Joe Flacco pass.

Not only did the Steelers fail to capitalize, but...

• Two plays later Antonio Brown threw an interception on an option reserve
• Shortly there after the Ravens found money, as Joe Flacco lofted a a 28 yard touchdown pass

Chris Rainey responded with a 42 yard kickoff return, giving the Steelers excellent field position, but the Steelers struggled to take advantage. Mike Wallace dropped one deep pass and Charlie Batch badly misfired with Wallace open in the end zone.

The Steelers had to settle for a Shaun Suisham field goal to close the half, down 13-6…

…They were holding their own, but still lacked the necessary execution to put them over the top.

Refusing to say “Uncle”

Tied the game to open the second half, as Charlie Batch connected with Health Miller for a 43 yard pass that brought the Steelers into the Red Zone. From there Jonathan Dwyer did his best Rainey imitation, cutting back when nothing was open in the middle and scampering sixteen yards into the end zone with Batch throwing the key block.

The Steelers defense held the Ravens, and with the ball in their hands the Steelers appeared to be hitting their stride. Emmanuel Sanders caught the ball at mid field and had an easy 30 plus yard gain if not a touchdown sight when he inexplicably fumbled.

Baltimore wasted no time, as Ray Rice smoked the Steelers defense for a 34 yard touchdown run that put the Ravens up 20-13.

• Baltimore broken open not only the game, but the Steelers will 

Prime Time Players Step up with the Game on the Line

Late in the 3rd quarter the Steelers looked poised to score having driven 49 yards on the strength of a 24 yard scamper by Isaac Redman  and a 23 yard reception by Heath Miller. But when Batch tried to connect with Miller again in the End Zone, Ed Reed was there, picking him off and returning the ball 27 yards to the Pittsburgh 34.

Again, the Ravens had another chance to put the game away and the Steelers had another chance to fold.

• James Harrison was having none of that.

Two plays later Harrsion came in behind Flacco for one of his patented strip sacks, Ziggy Hood recovered, and the Steelers were back in business.

Emmanuel Sanders atoned for his earlier mistake with a 17 yard reception that brought the Steelers to the 7, and on the next play Heath Miller stretch and struggled, and by the force of his will he touched the pylon on his way out of bounds.

• The Steelers had just tied the game.

The Steelers defense held the Ravens to 4 plays on the next drive.

Starting from his own 85 yards and just over 6 minutes stood between Charlie Batch and a chance to finish what is likely his final Steelers start with a victory.

Mixing runs with short and medium passes, Batch methodically moved the team consuming precious clock time. The Steelers had just sniffed field goal range when Paul Kruger got flagged for roughing the passer.

• Automatic first down and 15 yards.

Mike Tomlin played it cool, running the clock down to 3 seconds before sending his kick out.

Shaun Suisham delivered, knocking it in for 42 yards.

The Pittsburgh and Baltimore had fought another one for the ages.

• The Steelers got some good, even great but not quite spectacular plays for their playmakers. 
• They held their own physically, but did not dominate the line of scrimmage.
• The Steelers coaches out foxed the Ravens’ but that was not the deciding factor. 
• The Steelers lost some controversial calls, but also got a few 

No, this one came down to who wanted it more. And on this afternoon that team was the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Steelers Report Card vs. Ravens @ Heinz Field

Steelers Report Cards

Taken from the grade book of a teacher who sees a pupil with a performance arch that is startingly familiar to the one he saw last year, here is the Steelers report card for their loss to the Ravens. As a caveat, no other grades were consulted prior to this posting.

Quarterback
Mike Tomlin has reaffirmed his faith in Byron Leftwich several times over through the years. Leftwich began by exceeding everyone’s expectations, but it was all down hill after that. Yes, Leftwich was injured. But, the Report Card focuses on performance and outcome, and Leftwich didn’t get the job done. While it’s hard to blame Leftwich for not taking himself from the game, it doesn’t excuse his misplaced gallantry. Grade:  D

Running Backs
When Rashard Mendenhall, Isaac Redman, and Jonathan Dwyer posted all strong performances, Mike Tomlin promised to go with the hot back. The stat sheets says that hot back vs. the Ravens was Dwyer. Unfortunately, he about split carries evenly with Mendenhall, who looked a little tentative at the line. Redman gained 5 yards on a run, and Baron Batch moved the chains with his lone carry.  Grade: C

Receivers
Catching a ball from an unfamiliar hand requires an adjustment, and the Steelers receivers offered a mixed bag. Some plays were made, but there were drops and times when receivers failed to catch the ball in bounds. Likewise, Leftwich had to throw the ball away several times. Emmanuel Sanders and Mike Wallace led the group, although Wallace’s fumble cost the team dearly as did the non-touchdown catch. Heath Miller played well, but was held back to block. Grade:  D+

Offensive Line
Another shaky performance for a unit that seemed to be coalescing. At times the run blocking was excellent. At times, the line protected Leftwich well. Consistency however lacked. Mike Adams struggled at times, although he was not the only one at fault. The difference in the game probably did not come down to the failed exchange between Maurkice Pouncey and Leftwich, but such mishaps are inexcusable on final drives. Grade:  D

Defensive Line
It was perhaps the defensive line’s strongest performance, with Ray Rice being held to 40 yards on 20 carries. He had no where to run. Brett Keisel led the unit in tackles and the stat sheet doesn’t do justice to the way Casey Hampton clogged up the middle. Cameron Heyward played well in relief of Ziggy Hood. Keisel’s offsides penalty hurt however. Grade:  B+

Linebackers
The linebacking corps also turned in a strong performance. Lawrence Timmons seemed to be in on every tackle and so was James Harrison, whose sack could have be a difference maker. LaMarr Woodley also clocked in with a sack, and Larry Foote was his reliable self. The only thing lacking was a forced turnover, which the Steelers needed.  Grade:  B+

Secondary
With each game, Keenan Lewis just seems to get better. But Ike Taylor is playing very good football, simply making it hard for opposing teams to throw when they need to. Ryan Clark didn’t light up the stat sheet, but whatever he lacked in quantity he made up in quality. Will Allen continued with his solid play, and Ryan Mundy didn’t get noticed for the wrong reasons. Baltimore was 3-14 on third downs. Like the linebackers, the only thing lacking was a turnover, and the again, the Steelers needed one. Grade:  B+

Special Teams
A truly awful night for a unit that has run hot and cold all season. Jacoby Jones 63 yard touchdown on a punt return put the Ravens over the top. But Baltimore’s return game was strong all night, and neither Chris Rainey nor Sanders did anything for the Steelers Shaun Suisham was 1-1, but his kickoffs, which were deep early in the year, fell shallow. Grade:  F

Coaching
Steel Curtain Rising already took Mike Tomlin to task for either not knowing Leftwich was injured and/or failing to act on that knowledge. However, he is not the only one to blame. Dink-and-Dunk is not Byron Leftwich’s game. And while he did attempt and compete some long passes, the question is why was Todd Haley had him throwing so much to begin with? The Raven’s run defense is suspect to begin with, and the Steelers entered the game with a stud stable of healthy running backs. Why didn’t Jonathan Dwyer get more carries?

In contrast, Dick LeBeau called a tremendous game and his players executed, and that’s all that saves the coaching staff from an F-bomb in this weeks’ report card. Grade:  D

Unsung Hero
The 1998 and 1999 Steelers defenses started strong only to peter out, with the rest of the team, down the stretch. One reason for the decline was the disintegration of Joel Steed’s knees. As Ed Bouchette has said, the nose tackle is the fulcrum on which the Steelers 3-4 rises and falls.

Early in the year when something big happened up front, Steve McClendon was as likely as not to be in the game. Not so vs. the Ravens. The Steelers front seven made play after play, and the only happens if Casey Hampton is wrecking havoc in the middle. Havoc Hampton wrought, and for that he win the Unsung Hero award for the game.

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Tomlin's Mistake on Leftwich Injury Costs Steelers Ravens Game

Steel Curtain Rising’s Steelers-Ravens pregame insight was that this contest would test both:

• the Steelers time-honored commitment to a deep bull pen 
• and Mike Tomlin’s credo that “The Standard is the Standard”

On the surface, it may seem like the franchise failed on both measures. But Sunday night's distasteful result disproves neither proposition. Instead, the Steelers 13-10 loss to their division rivals to something much more mundane – human error.

Vindicating Their Head Coach…. On Paper 

The Steelers entered the Ravens game without their:

• Franchise quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger
• Playmaker extraordinaire strong safety, Troy Polamalu
• Budding wide receiver Antonio Brown

Further complications included losing the redoubtable Isaac Redman early in the game, and then Jerricho Cotechery late in the game.

• But this is Pittsburgh. Injures are never an excuse.

And, to this end the men in the Bumble Bee uniforms vindicated one of their head coaches’ most cherished philosophies.

How, you might ask?

The essence of Tomlin’s motto of “The Standard is the Standard” is this:

• Being in the NFL means already puts you in the top half of the top one percent of the world’s football players. Therefore you’re capable of a winning performance. Period.

The brutal reality facing Steelers Nation this morning is that Pittsburgh entered the 4th quarter at home behind 13-10 and saw their defense force four punts in that period alone. The same defense held the Ravens to 3-14 on third downs and kept Baltimore’s offense out of the end zone the entire night….

Necessary, But Not Sufficient

…That, ladies and gentleman, normally amounts to a winning performance.

Why then are the now Steelers down two games to the Ravens?

Explanations abound:

• Mike Wallace could have held on to the ball instead of gift-wrapping the Raven’s chance to get right back into the game
• The special teams could have brought its A-Game against one of the league’s most dangerous punt returners
• The offensive line could have started consistently winning at the line of scrimmage before the third quarter
• Coaches could have settled on Jonathan Dwyer, who ran better than Rashard Mendenhall

If the Steelers execute on any of the situations above, they likely win the game.

While no one in Steelers Nation should find the defense at fault, a turnover also could have been game changing.

Be careful to note however, that the Steelers injury situation did nothing to prevent a winning performance in any of the situations above.

Yes, these mishaps were all necessary for the Steelers to lose the game, but none of them were sufficient.

“Players Win Games, Coaches Lose Games”

Like most of its brethren, that cliché gets thrown around too much as a catch all to highlight that coaches hold ultimate responsible for performance.

• When it comes to the Steelers lose to the Ravens, however, the cliché takes on literal truth

Just three plays into the night, Byron Leftwich scampered 31 yards for the night’s first touchdown.

No one, outside or inside of Pittsburgh, let alone Leftwich himself, thought him capable of such a play.

Yet Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review reports that Leftwich injured his shoulder when he landed in the end zone. Worse, Leftwich injured two ribs when sacked two possessions later.

Leftwich struggled all night and the offense struggled with him. While ESPN Deporte’s  commentators mentioned nothing about Leftwich having an injury, NBC’s camera’s kept focusing in on Leftwich nursing various parts of his body.

At one point, Charlie Batch even warmed.

Yet Leftwich remained in the game. At half time Mike Tomlin proclaimed Leftwich “fine”

• He wasn’t.

In theory, Leftwich should have taken himself from the game. But Leftwich has finished 5 of his 9 previous seasons either on IR or inactive due to injury. Its difficult, (but not impossible) to blame him for trying to gut this one out.

But Byron Leftwich wasn’t up to the task.

• And it’s not up to players’ responsibility to make those decisions anyway.

That responsibility falls on the coaches. And in that aspect, Mike Tomlin failed in his responsibility. (If he didn't know of Leftwich's injury, he should have.)

On Behind the Steel Curtain Ivan Cole offered:

It is also clear that Tomlin is loath to intervene in these cases and I think there is an argument to be made for that position even if you risk losing in the short term, which is what occurred in each instance.

Cole is referring to Tomlin’s decision to stick with a wounded Ben Roethlsiberger at San Francisco last year. While I deeply respect my friend and colleague, I view it differently.

Allowing a quarterback to embrace his modern day gladiator role when he’s delivering is one thing. Allow one to stubbornly cling to hero impulses when injuries impact performance is another.

There’s a reason why the Steelers have the NFL’s deepest depth chart at quarterback:

• That’s to give Mike Tomlin options when injury strikes this vitally important position.

Mike Tomlin didn’t switch Charlie Batch for Roethlisberger at the half time in San Francisco. He should have and it cost the Steelers dearly.

The same thing was true of Byron Leftwich vs. the Ravens.

Time will tell if it costs the Steelers another division title.

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Steelers Lose to Ravens at Heinz Field

When it was all said and done, the Ben Roethlisbergerless Steelers had all of the necessary ingredients to beat the Baltimore Ravens.

They just failed to mix them together.

Yes, there's little doubt that with Roethlsiberger in the game, the Steelers come away with the win. Ben simply would have made some of those throws that Byron Leftwich misfired on.

But that wasn't the determining factor of the game.

The Steelers had their chances against a Ravens squad that performed mediocre on offense -- at best. But they couldn't capitalize. The Steelers simply failed to put it together.

• The running game started slow but found its legs, but the Steelers needed 60 minutes of production from the running game
• The line struggled to protect Leftwich in the early going, but they too stepped up, but the Steelers needed 60 minutes of production from the line

Much can be said for other areas.

Leftwich himself must bear part of the burden. He turned over the ball, and had great difficulty moving the chains on third down. 

No matter how you slice it, this game represents a huge missed opportunity for the Steelers. 

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Steelers vs. Ravens LIVE on Twitter

Its the Pittsburgh Steelers 80th Anniversary celebration game, and who better to celebrate it with than the Baltimore Ravens.

When was the last time you can remember a Steelers-Ravens game where neither Ben Roethlsiberger nor Ray Lewis played?

That would be a long, long time.

• But as it is, both teams will be forced to play without their studs. Who will step up?

I for one think the key to the game is the line buying time for Bryon Leftwich. Leftwich's arm strength is only slightly less than than of the Saturn V rockets that sent our astronauts to the moon. Ben Roethlisberger and Charlie Batch have had issues with under throwing Mike Wallace. But you can imagine that Leftwich will not have such issues.

But the key is he needs time, because Leftwich cannot make things happen with his feet the way Ben Roethlisberger can.

Get ready, its going to be a hard fought game.

Steel Curtain Rising plans to be active on Twitter (during the commercial break.) So if you're not already doing it by all means:

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Ravens to Test Steelers Philosophy on Quarterbacks, Injuries

There are many differences between Mike Tomlin and Bill Cowher, just as there are many differences between Kevin Colbert and Tom Donahoe.

But there is one point of football philosophy that unites all four men:

• Belief in a deep bullpen at the quarterback position

Given how important the quarterback position is, keeping an accomplished backup might seem like a no brainer. But its not, as Indianapolis’ experience when Peyton Manning went down demonstrates.

Since 1992 the Steelers have gone to great pains to insure themselves against such a calamity.

• During Cowher’s rookie year, it was Neil O’Donnell and Bubby Brister
• Mike Tomazck played the role of the veteran back up from ’93 to ‘99

There were even two season (1995 and 1999) during the Cowher-Donahoe years when the Steelers carried four quarterbacks on their active roster.

When Kevin Colbert arrived in 2000, one of the first things he did was to convince Bill Cowher to go with a QB number 2 who offered at a true value add.

Kent Graham was the first such quarterback, and while he didn’t work out to well, the Steelers added Tommy Maddox in 2001 and wasted little time in snapping up Charlie Batch in 2002.

Mike Tomlin has embraced that philosophy as well. When Charlie Batch broke is collarbone during 2008 training camp, Tomlin wasted no time in bringing Byron Leftwich to Pittsburgh, just as he immediately turned to Leftwich  when Ben Roethlisberger’s legal troubles led to his four game suspension.

The Steelers of course weathered that suspension well, despite the fact that 5 quarters into the season they were playing their fifth string quarterback.

• So the Steelers philosophy of investing in depth at quarterback has served them well.

But that philosophy is about to undergo it’s most severe test.

Steelers Face Life without Roethlisberger

There’s a certain irony to Ben Roethlsiberger’s injury vs. the Chiefs.

• Todd Haley was brought in to keep Ben Roethlisberger upright
• The offensive line had finally begun to improve its pass protection

Yet, Ben Roethlisberger’s number still came up. Yes, the Steelers have prepared for such an eventuality, but this eventuality happens to come when the Steelers have to play the Baltimore Ravens 2 times in 3 weeks.

It is during these three weeks that the Steelers will define their playoff future.

• Can Byron Leftwich hold the down the fort? 
• Can Todd Haley adjust his short-passing offense to accommodate Leftwich’s Saturn V strength arm?
• Can the offensive line return to the dominance it flashed just a few weeks ago?

Mike Tomlin has always lived by the philosophy of  “The Standard is the Standard” or  “Next Man Up” or what have you. What it all boils down to is that Tomlin allows no daylight in which injuries can become excuses.

When the Steelers 2012 season began, Steel Curtain Rising looked at the large number of injuries plaguing Pittsburgh and suggested that Tomlin’s philosophy would undergo its stiffest test yet.

The test is about to get even stiffer.

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Predicting the AFC North Champions - How do the Steelers Fare?

Opening day in the NFL is upon us, which of course brings us no shortage of pundits and predictions.

Peter King of SI is of course projecting the Pittsburgh Steelers at 8-8 and third in the AFC North, while the overall split between the team of writers there was 5-4 in favor of the Baltimore Ravens as division champions.. An ESPN poll of its experts split their division winner predictions 50/50 between the Steelers and the Ravens.

However, our friends Matt Ufford and Brad Wells at SB Nation have also offered a split prediction, but one that comes with a surprise.


Yours truly will offer no preseason predictions. Living down here in Buenos Aires just leaves me feeling too unconnected from the whole NFL scene to really get a good feel for the rest of the league.
However, I freely admit that part of me feels good that the Steelers are going into the season as underdogs
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Ben Roethlisberger Admits to Rotator Cuff Injury

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger gave a lengthy interview to reporters at training camp in St. Vincent’s in Latrobe today.

The primary focus of his conversation was on the development of the new offense that Todd Haley is installing. Steelers Nation will be pleased to know that Roethlisberger is taking well to the new offense and thinks highly of it.

The other piece of news to come out of the interview was far less encouraging.

Roethlisberger admitted, for the first time, he suffered a torn rotator cuff in the Steelers November loss to the Baltimore Ravens. (This admission adds further irony to the loss, because the game was arguably the offensive line’s best outing of the season.)

Big Ben insists that the injury no longer causes him problems and that he does not expect it to be an issue in the coming season.

Such confidence in the face of injury is admirable, but  rotator cuff injuries are nothing to make light of, particularly if you’re a quarterback. Roethlisberger insisted that the injury did not impact his play late last year, but that assertion is dubious.

Aside form the fall off in offensive performance, Behind the Steel Curtain’s Neal Coolong noted that he saw a significant drop in Roethlisberger’s arm strength.

Tribune-Review Steelers beat writer Alan Robinson downplayed the severity of the injury observing:

A lower-grade rotator cuff tear usually does not require surgery, only rehabilitation. An injury common to athletes, it is more like inflammation, and the shoulder often returns to normal function without surgery.

Ben Roethlisberger, while helping redefine the concept of "tough" for his willingness and ability to play with injuries is also noted as being some what of a drama queen.

Nonetheless “rotator cuff” and “quarterback” are two words which you never want to see in the same sentence….

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Steelers Current Plight No Justification for Changing NFL Playoff Format

The conversation took place on New Years Eve 1997. Ironically, it was in Cincinnati, in Clifton, on a balcony overlooking towards the city’s downtown area. The participants were myself and a good friend named Greg, and two innocent bystanders, Dave and Melanie who had zero interest in the topic at hand.

The topic was the NFL playoffs. The 1997 the Pittsburgh Steelers had secured the second seed and a first round bye in the playoffs.

The Denver Broncos had also secured a playoff berth, but as a Wild Card, by virtue of twin losses to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Steelers were 11-5, the Broncos 12-5. My friend Greg, a Columbus native was a football fan without strong rooting loyalty. I can’t pretend to remember his exact words, but they went something like this:

I am not sure who I am going to back this year. I mean, I like the Steelers, I like Kordell Stewart, I love Bill Cowher, but I can’t shake the fact that they’ve got a first round bye that they don’t deserve.

My retort was, of course they deserve it – they’re division champions. Greg fired back, calling into question the NFL’s playoff format, going so far as to say that if the Steelers were to win the Super Bowl that year, their victory would be tainted, because they got an unjust advantage over a team with a better record.

So the argument ensued, with my friend Greg even accusing me of, what in Spanish we would say is “Double Discourso” which is to say, hypocrisy as he insisted, “Come on, you know that if the situation was reverse, and the Steelers were a wild card with a better record than a division champion, you’d be agreeing with me.”

No, I wouldn’t, I stood firm.

Well, 1997 was a long time ago (makes one feel less old to throw out the year than to calculate the number of years).

And, barring a major upset in the Queen City, the Steelers will find themselves in the very same place – having to go on the road against a division winner who has a worse record than they do.

Divisonal Play Should Mean Something

While this fact is unfortunate, especially given the Steelers tremendous difficulties on the road, I nonetheless stand pat behind the NFL’s current playoff format.

My argument then and now is simply this: If you’re going to have divisional play, division titles should mean something. In addition to fostering natural rivalries and helping the league forge an indentity, divisional play provides an excellent crucible for classifying teams.

A home playoff game is a big deal not only to the team in question, but to the community. This is particularly true for small and mid-sized markets, where a home playoff game can mean millions of more dollars for local merchants, restaurants, and hotels.

In a competitive sense, home field does provide an advantage, but not an overwhelming advantage. As there are times when a team struggles at one point during the season, gets its act together enough to qualify for a Wild Card and makes a successful run as the ’05 Steelers, ’10 Packers and ’97 Broncos did.

The two top dogs in the AFC North are the Steelers and the Ravens. Both teams are similar, both in terms of talent, style and, this year, on the field performance. Both the Steelers and the Ravens have been strong home teams, but weak road teams.

It is fitting then than the right to host a home playoff game will fall to the team that performs the best in its final game on the road.

Hopefully, although perhaps not likely, that will be the Steelers. If not, so be it, the Steelers had their shots at locking up the division without neededing help and they fell short. Everyone in the organization is well aware of that, and the NFL should not be asked to alter its playoff format as a consequence.

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Comparing Steelers Report Cards vs. the Ravens

Regular readers are familiar with Steel Curtain Rising’s Report Card series, inaugurated in 2009. The genesis of the Report Card was simple and similar to the genesis of much of the rest of the material on this site: Looking at the stuff that the pros do and thinking, “Hey, I can do this.”

An additional reason is that keeping post game summaries to a reasonable length often times means neglecting to recognize individual accomplishments or tendencies.

I thought it would be interesting compare Steel Curtain Rising’s grades to that of Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette and Bob Labriola of Steelers Digest.

The first thing the jumps out is that the only area of agreement is with regard to the secondary.

Beyond that there’s a lot of variation.

It is no surprise that Steel Curtain Rising stands out on the quarterback rating. Ben Roethlisberger won lavish praise for his play against the Ravens, and his ability to bring them back from behind is commendable.

But he had a really shaky first half and his turnover came back to haunt the Steelers badly. Those two factors as much as anything else put the Steelers “below the line.”

Both Labriola and Dulac seemed hesitant to give out a good grade to the offensive line, to that I can only say: The Steelers offensive line neutralized a defensive front that has terrorized the Steelers backfield of late, “What more did you want them to do?”

In reading Dulac and Labriola’s commentaries, its also clear that perhaps I rated the linebackers a little too highly – although I thought that the outstanding performances by James Harrison and Larry Foote needed recognition. Still, the linebackers do deserve to carry some blame for Flacco’s superhuman 3rd down performance.

Ditto on the Special Teams. In truth, Baltimore had more success with its return game then I had given them credit for, and the special teams grade could be lower.

Labriola, who works at the Steelers complex on the South Side, never grades the coaches (surprise, surprise) and Dulac was a little less demanding than I.

The only other minor surprise is Dulac’s low grades for the running backs and wide receivers, as he commented on the fact that they were not used more in the game. I agree completely that the Steelers would have done well to have run more, but that is the fault of the coaches, and not the players themselves.

Time permitting, Steel Curtain Rising will do more report card comparisons in the future.

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Steelers Report Card vs. the Ravens at Heinz Field

From the Grade Books of a teacher who has been reminding his students that in the NFL you don't get graded on improvement or effort but solely on results. Thus comes the Steelers report card for their second loss of the year to Baltimore. As always, no other Steelers reports cards have been consulted.

Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger was spectacular on the Steelers two touchdown drives, his final TD pass being a play that few other NFL quarterbacks can make. As good as that was, the Steelers needed more from Roethlisberger, especially in the first half. The Steelers were a respectable 7-12 on third down conversions but respectable wasn’t enough. Ben's interception likely cost the team at least three points and facilitated to a 10 point swing, and the miscommunication between him and Mewelde Moore put Baltimore back in the game. Grade: D

Running Backs
Statistically Rashard Mendenhall had the best day that a Steelers back has had against the Ravens in a long, long time. The fact that he didn't get more carries isn't his fault. However, Isaac Redman didn't do much with his carries, and as mentioned the Moore-Roethlisberger miscommunication was costly, which does drop the grade for this group. Grade: B-

Wide Receivers
The wideouts have had better days, and Antonio Brown's pass catching ability is approaching scary. Mike Wallace made a great play in the end zone. Health Miller was Mr. Reliable as ever. Jerricho Cotchery looked good in his first extended action of the year. David Johnson had one good catch, then dropped at a most inopportune time. Grade: B

Offensive Line
Was this the same unit that provided little more resistance than road kill during the Debacle in Baltimore in week one? It sure did not look like the same until as Ben Roethlisberger had ample time and the running game even had decent holes for most of the night. A little in the way of "road grading" would have been helpful on the Steelers final possession, but that does little to tarnish a fine offensive line performance. Grade: A-

Defensive Line
Who said Ray Rice could run on the Steelers at will? The Steelers defensive line contained the Ravens rushing attack and again, looked like a compeletely different unit than the one who appeared in week one. One knock against them is that with so many injuries to the line backing corps, more pressure from the line would ahve been useful. Grade: B

Linebacker
James Harrison wasted little time in establishing himself as a disruptive force. Larry Foote also looked good for another week, although he missed a chance to end the Raven's winning TD drive. Jason Worilds, Lawrence Timmons, and Stevenson Sylvester however were invisible on a night when just a little more pressure on Flacco might have made the difference in crucial passing situations. Grade: B

Secondary
Was this the same until that just one week ago not only forced Tom Brady, Wes Welker, and Deon Branch to genuflect at the statue of Art Rooney Sr. but made them like it? Certainly could have fooled me.

The Steelers corners looked clueless and committed drive sustaining penalties on two of the Raven's three touchdown drives. Ryan Clark had another personal foul penalty. Troy Polamalu stopped Ravens rushers in their tracks any number of times, although perhaps using him deep would have been wiser. One week after looking all-world, the Steelers secondary appeared to be every bit of a liability that many feared they would be during the off season Grade: F

Special Teams
We can absolve this unit of blame for the delay of game penalty. Suisham made his two field goal attempts although the second did not lend a lot of confidence in his ability to make a third. Justin Kapinos punting was mediocre. The Ravens did OK in kick return yardage. Grade: B-

Coaching
Hats off to Sean Kugler for coaching his unit to a 180 degree turnaround from week one. Similarly, Dick LeBeau, Johnny Mitchell and Keith Butler’s plan to neutralize Ray Rice worked. But the secondary played similar schemes to what they had played vs. New England and was awful. Likewise, save for the fourth quarter, the offense was ineffective in a game where even a field goal would have made a difference.

When the Steelers found themselves at 4th and 5 Mike Tomlin committed the ultimate sin a coach can commit in those cirumstances - he vacilated. The Ravens came ready to play and kept their composure for 60 minutes. The Steelers did not. That’s on the coaches. Grade: F

Unsung Hero
When a “skill” player plays well, everyone knows about it. Then there are those whose best work often goes unnoticed. The Ravens swept the Steelers twice this year for the first time since 2006. But they did it in spite of the fact that the second time around Steelers offensive line had its best performance of the year, and that’s why that unit is the Unsung Hero for the Ravens game.

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Steelers Choke, Ravens Fly to 23-20 Victory

When the Steelers last faced off against the Ravens, they waltzed into Baltimore with the swagger of defending AFC Champions and got their clocks cleaned by a Raven's team that had a superior game plan, executed it better, was more physical, and quite frankly wanted it more.

The Baltimore Ravens saw a different Pittsburgh Steelers team Sunday night at Heinz Field, but the end result was equally damming.

Against the Baltimore Ravens the Pittsburgh Steelers did a lot of good things and offered a lot to like, but they committed the ultimate sin for a team fancying itself as a contender - they consistently failed to make plays when they needed to.

In colloquial terms, the Steelers choked.

The Flip Side of "Not Adding Style Points"

Mike Tomlin loves saying: "we don't add style points." This Tomlinism generally follows an ugly win. His point is that it matters little if you throttle the Titans or hold on for dear life against Jacksonville or Indianapolis because collectively they all increase your sum in the "W" column by 3.

The same logic applies to losses. As Steel Curtain Rising has said before,

• Unlike high school algebra, the NFL awards no partial credit for "showing your work."

Against the Ravens the Steelers showed the tremendous strides they'd made since the Debacle in Baltimore:

• The Steelers offensive line played its best game of the season, neutralizing Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata
• Rashard Mendenhall ran as well against the Ravens as any Steelers back has run in memory
• The Steelers rendered Ray Rice and the Ravens rushing attack an essential non-factor game's final outcome
• James Harrison played with the passion of a animal in heat

Each of these represents an exponential improvement from the Steelers first outing and, had the final score remained 20-16 each would have been an impressive accomplishment.

Alas, all went for naught and these efforts were wasted.

Big Ben, Taking Some Flacco….

ESPN America Latina’s pre-game show focused on the quarterback duel. For those of you who missed it (or wouldn't have been able to understand), the summary was simple:

• Ben Roethlisberger is reaching the prime of his career and worthy of elite status
• Joe Flacco is struggling to show he even merits consideration in the conversation

After thoroughly outclassing Tom Brady, the NFL Gold Standard at quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger got a classic schooling in quarterbacking essentials from Joe Flacco Sunday night.

“Quarterbacking essentials” is the operative phrase here, because Flacco was hardly flawless against the Steelers. He struggled in the red zone and first and second down Flacco looked every bit the journeyman his critics have tried to make him out to be.

But Joe Flacco delivered when it mattered, his play defined quarterbacking excellence on third down and again during the two minute drill.

Roethlisberger conversely struggled to convert third downs for much of the night. In the first half alone he had three near-interceptions, and his third quarter pick ended a drive that most likely would have resulted in at least a field goal.

• Instead, it sparked a Raven’s touchdown.

That’s a ten point swing in a game decided by 3. If Ben is even aware of Terrell Suggs he renders the Ravens last minute heroics meaningless.

“What They’re Really Asking Is, Why Don’t You Win?” – Chuck Noll

During the depths of the 1989 Steelers 92-10 start, Chuck Noll answered away Pete Axehelm’s “Has the game passed you by?” question by explaining “Questions like that are similar to ‘why don’t you throw to the tight end, why don’t you use the shot gun?’ what they’re really asking is ‘Why don’t you win?’”

The Steelers didn’t win, so here come the questions.

When the Raven’s needed 12 yards, Flacco found a receiver that was 12 yards deep. When they needed six, he threw it six.

Joe Flacco, Cam Cameron and the Baltimore receivers deserve full credit for this.

• Why, however, did the same coaches and players who just seven days earlier smothered a superior passing attack, fail to execute on any sort of adjustment?

The same goes for the offensive staff. Rashard Mendenhall looked pretty damm sharp against the Ravens yet only got 13 carries.

• Why not at least attempt to lean on the running game more while Roethlisberger was struggling?

Their recent winning streak notwithstanding, the Steelers have committed some avoidable penalties of late. It was only a question of if and not when it was going to cost them, therefore….

• How in the hell do you allow a delay of game penalty to push you out of field goal range in when defending a 4 point lead closing in on the two minute warning?

Once Again, NFL = Not For Long

Just seven days ago pundits began declaring the Steelers as “the team to beat in the AFC.”

Today tie breakers place them at third in the AFC North. Instead of poll position for an first round bye the Steelers will likely need help to make the playoffs unless they run the table.

Mike Tomlin has started every season at 6-2. Save for his rookie campaign, 6-2 has always led to 6-3. Tomlin railed the team week nine losses against in '08 to Indianapolis and in '10 New England into Super Bowl appearances.

• The ’09 loss to Cincinnati started a five game losing streak.

Tomlin has done a good job of taming the emotional roller coaster that forms part of any NFL season.

He’d better be able to do so again because the Steelers have left themselves with little margin for error.

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Ravens Defeat Steelers, 23-20

Hats off to the Baltimore Ravens for being better than the Pittsburgh Steelers tonight. While they certainly didn't dominate like they did in week 1, they made the plays when they had to.

Interestingly enough, what had been the Steelers strengths during their now ended winning streak. Ben Roethlisberger was wild and inaccurate early on, and their secondary suffered a series of major breakdowns.

Its now 2:10 am here in Buenos Aires, and work looms tomorrow morning. Check back tomorrow evening for Steel Curtain Rising's full analysis.

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Marcus Gilbert to Start, Jaymon Meredith Signs, Willie Colon to IR

Willie Colon’s comeback lasted all of one game. The Steelers starting right tackle tore his triceps in the Debacle in Baltimore and had surgery to repair the injury and Colon will finish the season on the injured reserve list the second consecutive year.

Although Colon just signed a 4 year deal with the team, he should be weary given the Steelers penchant for cutting offensive lineman long before their contracts expire.

To take his spot on the roster, the Steelers signed journey man offensive tackle Jaymon Meredith. The Green Bay Packers signed Meredith in the 5th round of the 2009 NFL draft, but he did not make the squad, catching on instead with Buffalo, where he became acquainted with Steelers offensive line coach Sean Kugler.

After playing time in 2009 with the Bills, Meredith suited up for a few contests with both the Bills and the New York Giants.

Marcus Gilbert to Get First Shot at Starting

Mike Tomlin confirmed that in Colon’s absence, 2nd round pick Marcus Gilbert will get the first shot at starting. It is not known who would be Marcus’ prime competition at the spot as the Steelers are short at both talent and depth along the entire offensive line.

Stark Absence of Flozell

Perhaps the biggest news to come out of the South Side is what didn’t happen in the wake of Willie Colon’s injury. The Steelers at this time will neither attempt to bring back Max Starks nor Flozell Adams.

The Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette confirmed that the Steelers had had talk with Adams’ agent, but that those talks did not go to any great depths. Bouchette opined in his weekly PG Plus chat that the Max Starks era in Pittsburgh was over.

This is only speculation on Steel Curtain Rising’s part, but Flozell Adams was due to make 5 million this year before the Steelers cut him. Adams presumptively wants something close to that sum to return. Whether the Steelers are unwilling to pay him, unable to pay him due to salary cap limitations, or simply uninterested is also unknown.

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Watch Tower: Did the Steelers Drink the "Baltimore Breeze" Kool Aid?

Bill Cowher was almost as famous for his clichés as he was his chin. An apt one in the wake of the debacle in Baltimore is:

“Never spend too much time reading your own press clippings.”

Cowher should know. Over confidence was his teams’ Achilles heel during the ‘90’s.

Although “trap games” bedeviled Mike Tomlin in ’07 and ’09, I don’t know if strictly speaking, over confidence was an issue.

That may have been part of the equation leading to the total breakdown in Baltimore.

First, consider the narrative leading into the game:

• The Ravens couldn’t beat Roethlisberger
• Flacco couldn’t beat the Steelers
• The lockout = minimal roster turnover good
• Ravens had lots of roster turnover (think bad)
• Ravens had serious upheaval on their offensive line
• Ravens so desperate that they had to pull left tackle Bryant McKinnie off of the scrap heap

The Watch Tower feels confident in pronouncing that none of this, not an iota, made its way into Mike Tomlin’s consciousness.

IF there is an NFL coach who cares less about what the opinions, interpretations, and pronouncements of the media than Mike Tomlin I don’t know who that person is.

But Tomlin is only one employee. Consider that:

• He's got 12 coaches on his staff
• The Steelers 2010 Media Guide lists bios for 22 other scouts, assistants and other front office personnel
• 53 players plus 8 practice squad players
• The same Media Guide also devotes two compelte pages of small print listing other team employees

Did any of them imbibe on the breeze through Baltimore Kool Aid inspite of the best wishes and intentions of their head coach?

Social Media and Pro Football Press Coverage

A mere ten years ago an objective observer from outside the organization could only say “You know, you raise a legitimate question, but there’s no real answer to that question, only speculation. Thanks for playing.”

Today in 2011, by virtue of social media, things are a little different.

For starters, the Pittsburgh media bought into this story line hook line and sinker. Some in the Steelers Press Corps stopped just short of openly deriding Baltimore’s personnel moves and subsequent situation.

Particular attention was heaped on the Bryant McKinnie pick up. None of this is new, but a curious Tweet caught my attention just before kickoff. It read:

The word in Baltimore is that LT Bryant McKinnie's weight "is in the 360s." He didn't played a snap all preseason.

Had Ed Bouchette, Scott Brown, Dale Lolley, or Jim Wexell tweeted this they’d just be using the new media to pass on a factoid.

But the Tweeter didn’t originate from the main stream press nor a blogger.

It came from the Steelers Digest, the in house publication. The Digest has been in publication since the late ‘80’s, and yours truly has subscribed since 1990. Its generally a good publication and more objective than it is given credit for.

But the Rooneys sign the paychecks of the paper’s editorial staff. And while 140 characters don’t leave room for a lot of subtexts, this tweet was not meant to complement McKinnie.

This at least raises that possibility that at least some portion of the Steelers organization jumped on the Bash Baltimore bandwagon.

That in and of itself is pretty thin evidence, even if it is drawing on some “hard” information Steelers Nation would not have had a mere decade ago.

But something in Ed Bouchette’s post-game summary on PG Plus also raises an eyebrow:

Troy Polamalu had an interesting line after the game. I did not hear him say it but it was on one of those quote sheets they pass out in the press box after the game. So, I'll just have to take it how it reads (they tape record player interviews and type up their comments) without any voice reflection or context.

He said this: "It's incredibly humbling which, obviously, we needed at this point . . . It'll be interesting to see how we perservere. [sic] This is a big step towards humility.''

They needed to be humbled? I need to remember to ask him why next time I see Polamalu. Were they too cocky, too confident, too full of themselves as the reigning AFC champs? I thought the Packers might have knocked that out of them. Remember the nameplate from the Super Bowl losing locker room that Ben R. said he hangs next to his bathroom mirror so it reminds him daily of that loss?

Bouchette’s pretty clear that he cannot give this quote any context, and Polamalu for one is the same guy who said the Steelers defense would improve with Tyronne Carter starting in his place and didn’t think he deserved the 2010 team MVP honors.

At the end of the day this all still amounts to speculation, albeit speculation support with a modicum of factual evidence.

But one must suppose that such “they were over looking them” explinations make such a horrendous loss just a little more palatable.

Thumbs Up for “After Further Review”

Scott Brown is getting some help on the Tribune Review’s Steelers beat in the form of regular articles and posts by Mark Kaboly.

One of Kaboly’s regular features is “After Further Review” posted on the site’s "Steel Mill Blog," which breaks down the video tape after each loss.

It was a welcome feature during the preseason for those of us who could not see the games.

His breakdown of the Raven’s game in "After Further Review" was excellent, and confirmed a lot of things that had occurred to me watching the game. Its quite common for bloggers to go back and TiVo Steelers game and return with all sorts of analysis.

We’d love to do that here on Steel Curtain Rising but simply do not have time.

After one game, Kaboly’s “After Further Review” serves as the perfect substitute.

In keeping with Steel Curtain Rising's policy of not stealing another writer’s thunder I won’t go into details about his analysis, but I will say that those looking for scapegoats would be wrong to focus soley on Jonathan Scott and Doug Legursky (and yes, yours truly singled both of those men out.)

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Steelers Report Card from the Ravens Route

Anyone who has ever worked on the teaching side of a class room can tell you that grading can be the most difficult and often times depressing aspect of education. Issuing the Steelers report card for their 35-7 debacle in Baltimore isn’t difficult at all but certainly depresses.

As usual, we offer the standard caveat that no other grades were consulted.

Quarterback
Has Ben Roethlisberger had a worse game? The ’06 game at Oakland might be a close second, but that’s about it. Ben threw 3 picks fumbled 2 and a half times, and far too many of his passes were wildly in accurate. Grade: F

Running Backs
Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman ran well but their opportunities were too limited to allow them to be a factor. Mewelde Moore looked good catching passes, until he fumbled. The fumble had zero impact on the outcome, but it was endemic of the malaise that infected the entire team. Grade: C
Wide Receivers
If there was any bright spot for the Steelers on Sunday, it was the wide receivers. Mike Wallace showed he was more than a one-note Johnny, Manny Sanders looked sharp on the only TD, Health Miller and Hines Ward were their reliable selves. Grade: B

Offensive Line
The Steelers will go no where if line play does not improve. The Ravens owned the Steelers backfield through and through. Jonathan Scott looked like he should be a back up in Buffalo instead of blocking Terrell Suggs. The team’s weakest unit turned in a thoroughly poor performance. Grade: F

Defensive Line
No one runs on the Steelers right? Think again. Ray Rice and Ricky Williams gouged the Steelers. Cycling in Ziggy Hood and Cameron Heyward helped not at all. Flacco had a spacious pocket to throw from. This line looked like a group of amaturs, not one made up of seasoned veterans. Grade: F

Linebackers
The strength of the team? Could have fooled me. James Harrison was ineffective, but at least he has back surgery as an excuse. Timmons, Woodley, Foote and Farrior were non-factors and that is generous: Grade F
Secondary
Yes, Ike Taylor erased Lee Taylor from the field. Everyone else stunk. Joe Flacco hit who he wanted, when he wanted to hit them. Grade: F

Special Teams
Spare the talk about Antonio Browns fancy foot work, Dan Sepulveda’s long punts, the touchbacks or the work of the coverage units. This unit gave up a two point conversion run by a punter who was holding on a kick formation. Inexcusable. Grade: F
Coaching
The Pittsburgh Steelers were not physically prepared, they were not mentally prepared, the coaching staff did not enter the game with a good game plan, they were completely unable to adjust and, worst of all, Baltimore simply wanted it more. Other than that, Mike Tomlin and his coaches did a great job. Grade: F

Unsung Hero
Ike Taylor has rightfully won recognition for his play against Lee Evans, so that leaves Isaac Redman as the team’s unsung hero. He only had a few carries, but he ran hard and delivered on all of them, including a third down conversion.

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Ravens Run Roughshod Over Steelers 35-7

In 2000, the last time (that I saw) the Steelers open vs. the Ravens, Baltimore kicked Pittsburgh’s teeth in to the tune of 16-0, and folks, the score makes that one look closer than it was.

That was also the last Steelers opener I saw on US soil.

The only opener I’ve seen in 10 years from Argentina was the 30-14 “dread the spread” drubbing the Steelers took at the hands of the New England Patriots in 2002.

One thing gets lost in the afterglow of winning 8 straight openers is that conclusions drawn from opening day thrashings are tricky at best.

While the 2000 opener did signal the Ravens’ rise, those who accepted the opening day shutout as confirmation that Cowher Power was dead were sorely mistaken.

On the flip side, while the Steelers rebounded to finish the 2002 season one bogus roughing the kicker penalty away from the AFC Championship game, New England nonetheless exposed the fact that Lee Flowers, Chad Scott, Dwayne Washington and Brent Alexander could no longer anchor a shut secondary.

In to which category can we put the 35-7 romping the Ravens visited upon the Steelers? Is it just a blip that the Steelers will bounce back from, or does the Ravens dominating performance signal a power shift in the AFC North?

For better or for worse those answers will be largely known by the time the Ravens come to Heinz Field on November 6th, but until then here are some thoughts early thoughts based on today’s game.

Ravens Hit Steelers Head On

When you want to make a statement that you’re the baddest boy on the block not only do you directly attack your opponent, you attack his greatest area of strength head on. If you succeed there, then you systematically exploit his weaknesses.

The Ravens opened running the ball directly at the Steelers right side, anchored by James Harrision, as Ray Rice ripped off 36 yards on the first play from scrimmage. One play later Joe Flacco threw a picture perfect pass past Bryant McFadden to Antwan Boildin for a 27 yard touchdown.

The strength of the Cowher-Capers-LeBeau-Tomlin 3-4 zone blitz defense has been its ability to stop the run, and then dare the opponents to pass. Steelers have done the former so well so well that in recent years few teams have even bothered to running. As Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers revealed, stopping the pass as been a weakness of the Steelers.

In just three plays, the Ravens made a statement that set the tone for the entire game. They attacked the Steelers defense’s supposed strength, and exploited its known weakness.

Steelers Nation prides itself on defense, but it had accepted, however reticently in some quarters, that a high-octane passing game led by Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Health Miller and the “Young Money” would compensate for a decline in pass defense.

That’s a nice idea in principle, but it is predicated on the Steelers ability to contain Terrell Suggs, Ray Lewis, and Haloti Ngata’s presence in the backfield. Keeping the ball out of Ed Reed’s hands would also be, advisable.

The Steelers did neither of those things. Lewis, Nagata, and Suggs imposed their will on the Steelers offense, and Ed Reed had one of his biggest games against Pittsburgh in recent memory.
The unfortunate aspect to the Steelers failure on offense wasn’t simply their inability to execute, but that Cam Cameron and John (don’t call him Jim) Harbaugh had clearly out game planed them.

The Steelers threw the ball 41 times and only rushed it 16, including one scramble by Ben. Perhaps that run-pass ratio is a little distorted by some excess garbage time throws, but Rashard Mendenhall ran fairly well as did Issac Redman.

The Steelers clearly entered the game intending to air the ball out, but failed to make adjustments when that wasn’t working.

Where To Go From Here?

The Ravens won this round by a clean knockout.

Fortunately for the Steelers this fight is scheduled for another 15 rounds. The Ravens certainly wish them no well in this regard, but Baltimore has helped clarify some of the questions the Steelers must answer as they look toward rounds 2-15.

• How much of the Raven’s ability to both dominate the line of scrimmage and protect its quarterback was due to the drop off in play by James Harrison?


• Say the line, and not Harrison, gets the blame for failing to stop the run. Hood and Heyward give the Steelers options on the outside, but what do they do if Big Snack’s play is dropping off?


• Both Jonathan Scott and Doug Legursky looked lost at times against the likes of Suggs and Nagata, how long of a leash do these men get?
• (See above question first). Now that the Steelers signed Troy Polamalu, does the salary cap afford them the luxury of picking up the red phone to Max Starks and/or Flozell Adams?


• The Steelers have the weapons to mount a balanced attack on offense. Is the offensive staff willing and able to take a balanced approach?

There are other questions of course, but these are the big ones.

Streak Ends at 8, But Their Was Life Before Then

After winning 8 straight opening games the Steelers were bound to lose one, and lose they did to the Ravens in dramatic fashion.

Credit the Ravens. They planned for victory, they prepared for victory, they went out and seized victory and never looked back. But Baltimore gets no style points added for winning in such impressive fashion just as Pittsburgh gets no extra points deducted for falling so flat on their faces.

Fans now forget, but opening day debacles were more or less a stable of Bill Cowher’s first ten seasons. The lesson to take is that an opening day debacle doesn’t have to spell doom for the rest of the season if the guys in the locker room react appropriately.

Mike Tomlin’s imperative is to see that they do.

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