2004
Regular Season Recap��� by Steel Cello
What a
difference a year makes�from 6-9 to 14-1.�
But this is not even close to being the same team as a year ago.
Many of the
changes the Stillers made between 03 and 04 have been well documented.� The re-dedication to the ground game, new
coaching staff /return of Blitzburgh, etc.��
But to make it all happen, we need changes and improvements in player
personnel, and important new additions as well as the maturation of existing
players have enabled the Stillers to implement the changes they wanted.
1)
Duce �
This is the biggest and most drastic addition and even though Bettis is getting
all the attention (and yardage), Staley�s starts in the 1st half have
not only kept the Bus fresh physically, but also given him a lot more
motivation every start, knowing it could be his last.� Duce is obviously the better back at this point in his career,
with more speed to go along with his considerable strength, but even injured,
he makes Bettis better.� As other�s have
mentioned, I hope Duce�s pass catching abilities are more utilized when he
returns.
2)
Farrior
� With Bell constantly hobbled and Porter having stretches of mediocre play,
Farrior has had a career year and become the cornerstone of the Pittsburgh
D.� His pass coverage (most of the time)
has been the most crucial capability as the Stillers have been trying for a
couple of years to figure out who and how to use their LBs against the
pass.�
3)
Troy �
You saw hints of it last year, but maybe weren�t sure this guy was going to put
it together.� Most of us see now why
they traded up to get him.� He is all
over the place making tackles, baiting QBs, etc�marking the whole D secondary
look and play better.� He says he will
get better and you have to believe him.�
He still takes the bad angle and occasionally misses a tackle, but you
couldn�t have asked for more considering it�s his first year starting full
time.
4)
Ben �
Besides the obvious achievements, there is also the seemingly perfect fit in
attitude, demeanor, and toughness that has defined Steeler football for over 30
years.� Ben has not made a major misstep
with the media, teammates, coaches, etc. all year long.� Agreeing with Faneca about �not wanting a
kid rookie� in there was prefect, and true, but Ben could have responded a
zillion different ways, none of which would have been as positive for the team
as how he chose to handle it.�
Granted, it�s easy to get along when you win every game you start, but still
impressive for a 22 year old.� He also
taken a leadership role very well, very quickly; being vocal when needed, and
also modest when needed.�� I was at the
Giant game last weekend and right after the Giants� opening kickoff for a TD, I
saw Ben marching up and down the bench clapping his hands, encouraging his
teammates.� This may be something that
most QB�s do, but at 22, I consider it a big plus.� I don�t think it was an accident that Ben wore black and gold on
draft day.� J
5)
OLine
� Marvel was finally healthy, but in a new position, Hartings had recent
injuries, huge worries about Ross, etc.�
There was a definite uncertainty as to how this unit would perform, and
despite the lapses in pass protection giving up over 2.5 sacks per game, their
run blocking (along with Kreider) has been superb.� Their importance is even more pronounced with Bettis starting, as
he is most effective when he gets a little more time and protection to get up
to full momentum.� If we had 2003�s O
Line, I think Bettis would still be averaging his 3.3 YPC and we would have
seen a lot more of Haynes and Parker.��
Of course, the way these two guys have looked this year, having them
play more may not have been a bad thing, but we have the luxury of not finding
out just yet.
6)
Best
�Subs� in the NFL � Foote, Harrison, Hoke, Mays, El, Bettis, and even Williams,
have all been adequate to downright awesome at times.� The Stillers are suddenly very deep in most positions compared to
recent years past and this is huge come playoff time.� Foote has improved a great deal from a couple of years ago, Hoke
has outperformed expectations, Mays has been decent with a few very clutch
plays, Bettis has been better then expected according to some and the leader in
Comeback Player of the Year according to others, El�s pass catching ability has
taken a huge leap this year, Harrison just had an incredible game against the
Ravens, but has been great all year, and Williams has been slightly better then
expected IMO.�
In addition to all these guys, we have Maddox waiting to fill in for banged up
Ben this coming week, who if you remember, had a couple of pretty solid
performances in the post season, 2002.��
Just in case Ben is hurt worse than expected, this team is a much better
fit for Maddox compared to last year.�
He has proven that he can operate a good running team, and has also
proven he cannot carry a bad running team.
7)
Speed
players � Lebeau�s system needs lots of speed, and the Stillers certainly have
upgraded their overall team speed:�
Troy, Colclough, Taylor, Hope, Staley, Ben, Harrison, etc. are all
recent additions to the starting lineup and our pass defense, while still
suspect, is not as glaring a weakness as in recent years past.
8)
Coaching
� I don�t know a lot about the inner workings of NFL coaching and the
particular dynamics of the Cowher/Lebeau/Wissenhunt relationships, but what I
do sense is a slight shift in Cowher�s overall demeanor, which seems to be a
bit more humble(?).� I think this stems
from the fact that while most of the major changes that needed to be made were
made, many of them were direct reversals of bad Cowher decisions from 02 and
particularly 03.� I think Lebeau
commands more respect to begin with and that may be a factor also.� Of course, I�m not sure if he�d be anything
like this if we were 6-9 again at this point, but I�m hoping he keeps this
approach in the post-season as it is worked well so far.
******
A final
thought�I don�t think we are quite as good as 14-1 this year just as I don�t
think we were as bad at 6-10 last year.�
Think of all the close games we lost last year that we seem to be
winning this year.� A few come to mind:
---The
mishandled snap by Vinny that enabled us to beat Dallas
---The 60
yard field goal that was almost good in Jacksonville
---The roughing
the passer call against the Giants on 3rd down
Granted,
the 2004 Stillers have made big plays down the stretch whereas the 03 Stillers
seemed to be one or two plays shy of the win all year long.� However, we could easily be 11-4 or 10-5,
and last year we could have been 8-8.�
So I don�t think Cowher was making excuses last year when he kept saying
there is a fine line between winning and losing in today�s NFL.
******
Well, the playoffs are upon us and I�m sure some fans are getting flashbacks to
2001 when expectations were high and we were the favorites and had homefield
advantage, etc.� But due to the fact
that we have more team depth, better special teams (most of the time), a bigger
arsenal of offensive weapons, a pretty solid D, and a QB (maybe even 2 QBs)
that has shown no indication that he will choke it up in the final minutes of a
championship game, I feel better about 2004 than I did in 2001.
Go
Stillers!!