Week 1 Soul
Searching by Steel Soul
Offense -
Welcome Duce, Commitment (?) to the Run, and "Steeler football"
Well...the
opening drive shone like a diamond in the manure of an otherwise mediocre
offensive day.� Maddox threw high and hard
on a few occasions throughout the afternoon, possibly a Freudian slip of the
arm, considering Pamela Anderson was rumored to be in attendance.� Recall the dart he overthrew to Randal El in
the end zone, when some air under the ball would have resulted in 6.� To his credit, he showed escapability on
three separate occasions, with two resulting in first downs.� All of the receivers suffered along with
Maddox.� Except, of course, for the
heart and soul of this team, #86.� Hines
Ward, as always, epitomized the toughness and desire of a man who plays as if
he appreciates being able to wear a Steelers' uniform.� Staley also appeared to relish the
opportunity to be the feature back on a self-proclaimed running team.� His extra effort forging towards the goal line
could be likened to a soldier crawling up the beach on D-Day.� As positive as this was, his extra effort
was rewarded by subsequently allowing a has-been to pad his career stats.� The Steelers went into a two-quarter fog in
the play calling and execution department, allowing their time of possession
advantage and momentum to vanish in the mist.�
They cannot force their defense to stay on the field as long as they did
yesterday.� We all know it's imperative
that they stick with the run and let the clock tick when they have the
ball.� Five 3-and-out drives won't cut
the kielbasa.� They won't win many more
games if they lose the time of possession battle, especially after holding the
ball approximately 10 minutes in the first quarter.� Wisenhunt and Co. had a chance to throw the dirt on the Raiders
grave after Townsend's interception of Gannon's throw away attempt(?) in the
2nd quarter.� Instead of running the
ball - you know, they're dedicated to the run this season - they called three
passes, resulting in three incompletions.�
As much as Cowher, the team, and the media like to tell you that
"Steelers' football" is the over-referenced smash mouth running game
and in your face defense, I'll tell you what Steeler football is - it's never
snapping the neck of their wounded prey.�
Invariably, they let every team back into games because their play
calling and execution falter when it's time to kill their quarry.� Cowher said after the game, in paraphrase,
that they drove the ball down the field when they had to and kicked a FG when
they had to for the win.� Bill, you
wouldn't have had to do that if more relevant play calling had kicked
those patch-eyed, West Coast scum in their fat guts when they were gasping for
air in the first half.� That is the
essence of what Steelers' football needs to become.�����
The offensive
line only allowed 1 sack, but for the most part was inconsistent.� If you take the Short Bus' 5 carries for 1
yard out of the stats, the running game still only produced 3.8 ypc.� Against a team with a defensive identity
crisis like the Raiders (3-4 or 4-3 or all-you-can-eat pasta or all-you-can-eat
ribs), you need to average north of 4.2 ypc, no matter how much cholesterol the
overrated Sapp and Washington use to clog the running arteries.� I'll attribute some of the failures in the
run game to the lack of flow defined within the O-side game plan.� Of notable annoyance was the botched direct
snap to Verron Haynes on 3rd and 3 on the Steelers' first drive of the second
half.� The Raiders had just scored, and
Pittsburgh needed a first down to quell the momentum the Raiders gained by
scoring 10 unanswered points with their pre- and post- halftime efforts.� Instead, they went with what didn't bring
them, half-assed trickery, and they paid for it.� Maybe this last remnant of Mularkey's playbook will be
torched.� Speaking of things getting
torched, with only marginal harm done...
Defense -
Secondary faults and staying aggressive
LeBeau and Cowher employed, for the most part, a disruptive defensive game plan.� Players were attacking the line of scrimmage for the first time since 2001; however, Tricky Dicky and/or Cowher seemed to call off the cavalry for a while to coincide with the sputtering offense...just enough to let the Oakland Al's boys back in the stadium without a ticket.� I'm sure LeBeau and his cohorts were gun shy after the 58-yard bomb to Gabriel before the half, so they tucked their tails long enough to lose sight of the fact that the pressure was causing turnovers and general confusion amongst the silver and black.� Personally, I thought the two bombs were the best things that could happen to the young defensive backfield, Troy especially.� They were made to look like fools on a couple of plays.� They'll watch the films, be embarrassed, learn, and improve.� I'm glad it happened in game 1, and it was fortuitous that the lapses occurred in a game they won, because then it doesn't cause a confidence meltdown wherein the D-backs feel solely responsible for a loss.� I appreciate the up-the-field approach LeBeau and the D-unit showed as a whole.� If they get beat being aggressive, that sits well with me.� It's better than watching Gannon complete forty-three 8-yard passes and letting their receivers run ruts in the turf.� Hopefully everyone watching Haggans recognized what Gildon could no longer offer - a LOLB who hustles and who willingly runs to the opposite sideline to make a play.� The run blitzes, two by Foote coming to mind, were just as effective and well timed as their pass play counterparts.� The front seven was stout on interior rushing attempts and mobile from sideline to sideline, hence the meager 61 yards rushing for Oakland.� That's one yard per RB on their roster.��� Foote played well, but he's too small for inside backer - 239 lbs.� If he has to play all season, he'll wear down.� Casey Hampton deserves particular mention, too.� His presence in the middle was disruptive as he made an early statement that another trip to Hawaii should be on the horizon.� I was surprised and impressed by the defense, considering that the first unit failed to wreak any havoc whatsoever in the pre-season.� In general, maybe the packages are essentially the same in the Lewis to LeBeau transition, but the deployment of the packages makes all the difference in the world.�
Special Teams -
Nothing special can be a good thing
The Raiders
averaged less than 20 yards on 5 kickoff returns, as the Steelers' coverage
units continue to gain the reputation as being a consistently solid group.� New punter Chris Gardocki displayed every
facet of his game today - pounding the ball into the end zone, getting run into
for a penalty, and knocking a couple inside the 20.� On one occasion, though, two Steelers watched in a stupor as a
Gardocki punt hopped into the EZ.� By
the way, wasn't Gardocki brought here because he could angle his punts?� The new P added the capper to the three
play, zero yard mess after Deshea's pick in the 2nd quarter.� The line of scrimmage was at the Raider
40.� I'm obviously not a punter, but
this seems like the ideal distance from which someone paid six to seven figures
could kick a ball with some direction, i.e. towards the f'ing sideline.� Spencer - tell your buddy to kick the ball
out of bounds at the 10.� El and
Colclough have an incredible burst when finding a seam, and they will
definitely have a couple of TD's between them before the end of the
season.� You can see that potential
every time they begin a runback.� No big
plays from any perspective, especially that viewed under the hood of the replay
screen.� I'll take that any
weekend.�����
Notes:
The media and
the fans lit up the airwaves with talk of Jerome's three TD's after the
game.� Some pro, some con in their
arguments.� I wasn't miffed about Bettis
scoring his three TD's until I thought about the reason behind them.� My conclusion?� There was no discernable purpose in Jerome scoring ALL
THREE.� Cowher still has to give tubby
his little treats.� My rationale (while
watching the game) for the first plunge was that Staley might have been
tired after carrying the ball 8 times on that drive.� Other than that, Bettis is simply being appeased.� If players were supposed to be appeased in
this game, Bradshaw and Lambert should still dress in black and gold on
Sundays.� Yeah, I know Wisenhunt said
that he liked what he saw out of Bettis with the goal line package in
practice.� Big f'ing deal.� Staley is stronger, quicker, and more
mobile.� From physics, force = mass
multiplied by acceleration.� Good old F
= m X a.� What Staley may lack in girth
when compared to Bettis, he makes up for with the "a" part of the
equation.� The only "a" Bettis
has is his fat "a"ss.� If
someone can give me a good reason why Bettis should have stepped on the playing
field yesterday, other than to shake hands at the end of it, I would really
welcome the enlightenment.� If you want
to make a running back happy, bring in Haynes.�
He would appreciate the opportunity and result of reaching pay dirt more
than Bettis.� The complete trash about
him being repaid for his overall body of work while in a Steeler uniform
doesn't fly with me.� Fool me once,
shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me, fool me three times and I'm sick of
seeing #36 trot onto the field.� Say I'm
being negative in light of a Steelers' victory.� To me, it was running up the score within a 3-point game.
A note to
Wisenhunt and Maddox - scrap the middle screen.� The play developed poorly when used on at least two occasions,
and Maddox still threw the ball into a sea of jerseys, not all of which were
the home team's. �The poor execution was
matched only by Tommy�s willingness to throw the ball into the mess in front of
him.
When Ainsley
Battles picked up the untouched punt that certainly appeared to hit a Raider
somewhere below the knee, I thought we had a gift TD on S-Teams.� I know the shape of a football results in a
variety of strange movements in the physical plane, but if the ball that
"did not conclusively hit a player on the receiving team" moved in
that manner, I would have to attribute it to paranormal forces, or more likely,
some of that old Raider mystique.� At
least something still lingers from the greatest rivalry of the 70's.
In an era when
the technology and intelligence exist to plop a smart bomb into someone's
bathroom window while they're flossing, is it too much to ask the NFL to apply
some sort of audible declaration that the play clock has expired?� I know that all teams benefit from being
able to snap the ball with :00 reading on the play clock over the course of the
season, but when it happens on a TD pass, it's more noticeable and egregious
than on a three yard run.
Congrats to the
ESPN NFL Gameday Crew yesterday, with a special spotlight on Mr. Humble,
Michael Irvin.� The Zoot Suit Jackass
predicted Randy Moss and Jamal Lewis would each total 200 yards from scrimmage
yesterday.� Try 57 for Lewis and 27 for
Moss, not counting that fluttering chicken he threw.� Hey Mike, stick to things you know like gaudy outfits, obnoxious
behavior, and the white stuff, and leave the credible analysis and information
to people like Mortensen and Clayton.�
Like a poker machine, you're there for entertainment purposes only.
The Bengals
picked up where they left off last year, allowing Curtis Martin 196 yards on
the ground and over 440 yards in total offense in route to a 7-point loss to
the NYJ.� Sounds like a team on the rise
to me.� No sacks and no turnovers for
the revamped, yet still ineffective, Bengals defense (the Jets did turn the
ball over on special teams).� On the
bright side for Cincy, Carson Palmer's insertion did not derail the Bungholes
offense.� It was the seventh consecutive
season Cincinnati opened the year with a different starter at QB.� Maybe they finally started the right
one.� I thought it would be 4 weeks
before Palmer found his rhythm.� (Wonder
who they play then?)� To temper the
enthusiasm, he was going against a secondary that was missing starter Terry
Mickens, and all three of the other regulars had injury problems in the
preseason.� J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!
What the hell happened
by Lake Erie?� On a day when the Browns
re-dedicated their championship of 40 years ago, they rode the wave of
enthusiasm cloaked in reminiscence, hung tough behind the leadership of the
rainbow warrior, and inexplicably toppled everyone's AFC North favorite.� The Ravens were -3 in turnovers and managed
88 yards on the ground.� Granted,
Jonathan Ogden was injured yesterday.�
That will be a key situation to track as the Steelers ready themselves
for the Ravens on Sunday.� The Browns
went the conservative route and waited for Boller to make mistakes.� He obliged with 2 ints and a fumble.� Very nice job.� A stillers.com reader out of the Baltimore told me that fans
aren't sold on Boller or Billick's dedication to him.� I explained that the second option at QB would be far worse.� My hatred for the Ravens grew exponentially
this weekend.� Picked them to beat the
Browns in a suicide pool, so I'm dead now, and Jamal Lewis did nothing to help
my fantasy team with a whopping 57 yards against a team that was his personal
bitch on two occasions last year.� Am I
saying that I'm mad that they lost?�
Absolutely not.� Am I shocked?� Yes.�
A
progression used in creating an opinion of casual Steeler fans.� People wear Steeler gear to bars as a
shallow display of support.� The game is
on while they are at the bar.� 75% of
the people at the bar, wearing the Steeler gear, pay no attention to the game
and annoy the few dedicated people trying to follow the game.� That 75% of Steeler supporters would be
better suited for a coffee shop, where discussions of non-football topics are
expected.� In a nutshell, I�m saying
stay at home, assholes.��������