Steelers @ Dallas: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

Some losses are tougher to assess than others; to step back from the emotion as a fan in an effort to bring something approximating an analytical look takes a little longer. The loss to Dallas is exactly that -- one of several this season. But we are ready now, and here, as Peter King says, is what we think we think.

The Good
David DeCastro & Kelvin Beachum: Two rookies, with no experience working together, were fantastic, considering the circumstances. Mr. DeCastro was responsible for giving up one sack, and the two of them did struggle as Dallas turned-up the pressure during the latter stages of the fourth quarter and overtime, but the feeling here is that the offensive line is (barring injuries) set for 2013 -- assuming that the Steelers are willing to sign Max Starks for another year (Mike Adams showed no evidence of being able to handle the left tackle position). It is true that the run game continues to be a huge disappointment, but Mr. DeCastro and Mr. Beachum look to be part of the solution rather than the problem.

James Harrison: It remains to be seen if Mr. Harrison can regain his Pro Bowl form, but this was his best game of the 2012 season, by a very large margine. His four tackles, two for losses, a quarterback hit, and a forced fumble are all testament to the fact that he was the most impactful player on the defensive side of the ball last Sunday. He showed good speed (except for some man-to-man coverage responsibilities on the Dallas second string tight end late in the game) and leverage off the edge throughout; and a couple of more games like that and the Steelers will have to decide if letting Mr. Harrison walk as a free agent (prior to now something that seemed a foregone conclusion) is really such a good idea.

The Bad
Ben Roethlisberger: Obviously there is the interception, in overtime, that led to Dallas' winning score; but beyond that there were the horribly thrown dump-offs (particularly into the flats which is not necessarily a short pass), and even the whirling dervish touchdown pass to Heath Miller left us feeling exasperated -- what if Mr. Roethlisberger had been hit, and injured, rather than throwing for a touchdown? Frankly, the chances of scoring on a play like that are infinitesimal, with a sack or turnover (i.e. "never throw late down the middle") much more likely to occur. We admire his never say die approach, but sometimes discretion really is the better part of valor.

The Defense: The Steelers #1 ranked defense gave up 415 total net yards, 153 yards more than their season average. The overall lack of a pass rush left Tony Romo free to pick apart the Steelers' secondary. And, however great Josh Victorian may become in his career, he looked overmatched all day long. But the one aspect of the defensive performance by the Steelers that left us most perturbed was the tackling. THe Cowboys running backs and receivers were much more physical and determined than anyone on the Steelers' side of the ball, and all the broken tackles were evidence of that.

The Ugly
Antonio Brown: Two fumbles, one lost . . . and we tweeted at the moment that the second of those would be a back breaker. One never knows how things are going to go in a game, but that fumble gave Dallas excellent field position and they scored the tying touchdown. Then, of course, there was the subsequent punt that he allowed to hit and roll . . . and roll . . . and roll. All things considered it was an atrocious performance.

Playoff Chances: The fact that this season's edition of the Steelers not only has an opportunity to make the playoffs but controls its own ability to qualify for the playoffs speaks to the watered down quality of NFL football. 9-7 is not a record that anyone is going to feel good about, assuming that the Steelers get there, and, at this point, this team strikes fear into the heart of absolutely nobody.

Tennessee vs. Steelers: Instant Analysis, fourth quarter

All's well that ends well.  Despite the special team breakdown (i.e. the blocked punt) the Steelers split possession time for the quarter; and the play-action touchdown pass on third down and six was a back breaker.  Moreover, the defense came up with enough plays to keep Tennessee from ever getting back in the game.

We were especially pleased to see Cam Hayward deliver some important plays, and James Farrior ~ who had looked fairly dreadful through the first four weeks of the season ~ had six tackles in the quarter.

At this point, with all that has transpired, any win is a good win; and the Steelers get to look forward to another week at home.

Super Bowl Postgame Quotes:James Farrior

(On what it feels like to win the Super Bowl) “It feels great, man. Number one in the world.”



(On his post-game thoughts) “Number one, baby, in the world – [there isn’t a] better feeling. We were out here all day, 60 minutes. We were out there 60 minutes.”



(On if he was worried in the fourth quarter) “Heck no. We always believe. We always believe in our team. It didn’t matter. It looked bad for a little bit, but we got it.”



(On winning his second Super Bowl) “Two times in four years, baby. You can’t beat it.

Wednesday's Quotes: James Farrior

The NFL is generous, nearly to a fault, in providing transcripts of the media sessions conducted by the players on both teams. Because we do not have to worry about things like "column width" or "advertising revenue" we can pass these along unedited (except for some formatting) and unfiltered.

In that spirit, here are comments made by James Farrior to the media on Wednesday.

(on cutting down on his weight): “I don’t know if there was an exact strategy to do it, it just happened that way. In the offseason, I just slimmed down. I was trying to get as strong as I could.”



(on the money and events surrounding the Super Bowl): “We don’t really think about stuff like that. That’s out of our hands. We can’t control anything like that. It’s not going to help us win the game. Other than just the trivial things, we don’t really care about that.”



(on family nature of team versus business of football): “We all treat each other like family. We respect each other and care about each other. At the end of the day, it’s all about business. That always comes first.”



(on where the current linebacking corps fits in to history of Steelers’ defense): “I’m not sure about that. That is going to be left up to you guys. I feel like we have a good group and a bunch of good athletes and playmakers. We will let you guys decide all of that stuff.”



(on being the backbone of the defense): “We take a lot of pride in that. We all know of the great tradition that the linebackers have had here throughout the years. We just want to uphold our end of the bargain and be accountable. To have those guys looking down on us, it really makes you want to step your game up and play well. I hope we make those guys proud because we look up to all of the former linebackers and we appreciate the work that they put in. We hope that they think well of us.”



(on the chemistry among the linebackers): “I just think we work well. We have a great chemistry together. We all pretty much know what the other is going to be doing. I think we have a good mix of veteran guys: me and [Larry] Foote and James Harrison. And we have the young guys like [LaMarr] Woodley and [Laurence] Timmons. They’ve been coming along great all season. I think the mix of the young and the old is a pretty good combo.”



(on Mike Tomlin’s comments that “it all revolves around Farrior”): “It’s a good feeling to know that you run the ship out there. I take a lot of pride in that. I know that I have a lot of responsibility. At the end of the day, I have to get those guys lined up and get them to do what they do best.”



(on the Cardinals showing more offensive balance in the playoffs): “When you go into the playoffs, you have to have balance. You can’t be one-dimensional. Every team that got into the playoffs all tried to run the ball. If you have that good balance where you are able to run the ball and complement it with the play-action pass, you will be successful. I think that’s what they started doing in the playoffs.”



(on the Cardinals’ running style): “The jab and the counter, those are their two main plays. We have a lot of history with Russ Grimm and we know he likes the jab play. I’m sure he’s going to try that play. The counter will probably be their next play.”



(on if it’s different to play a Cardinals team that isn’t “smashmouth” like the Ravens): “I don’t think so. I think we are going to play the same way regardless of who the opponent is. We are going to try to make it as physical a game as possible.”



(on the Cardinals presenting a challenge): “It will definitely be a challenge for our defense. I don’t think the guys on our side of the ball would have it any other way. We want to be considered as one of the best groups that ever played the game. So why not go up against the best?”



(on the Steelers’ linebacker history affecting his decision to sign): “I didn’t really think about it too much. I was just looking for a job basically.”


(on the departure of Joey Porter): “It just changed the leadership roles a little bit. Joey was our vocal leader as well as our team leader. After he left we lost a lot of that, but I think everybody did a good job of picking it back up and holding everybody accountable.”



(on if he is the vocal leader): “A lot of guys might say that. I’m not really a vocal guy. I don’t really do a lot of talking. I just go out and play and try to lead by example.”



(on if he has studied the Steel Curtain): “I haven’t studied them. I just look at the stuff that comes on TV. I know they had great defenses. I’ve never really sat down and compared our teams.”

Ravens v. Steelers:The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

Surprisingly enough, home field can be an advantage, even in Pittsburgh (many thanks to my friend Joe Brugh for the included photograph ~ taken from section 524 of Heinz Field). In a postseason that witnessed an unprecedented strength amongst the road teams (i.e. in this postseason visiting, and home, teams were 5-5) the Pittsburgh Steelers overcame their franchise's history, and the angst that all Pittsburgh fans feel for no other reason than they are Pittsburgh fans, to earn a trip to Florida and Super Bowl XLIII. Here are some of our impressions from that game.

The Good

1. What does one say, what can one say when everything has been said? In the afterglow of the AFC Championship can anyone really question whether or not the Steelers have the NFL's most dominant defense? During the 2008 regular season the Baltimore Ravens' offense averaged 324.0 yards per game, and 248.5 yards per game in the postseason. But in the AFC Championship the Steelers held Baltimore's offense to 198 total net yards ~ their lowest single-game total of the season (their second lowest total was 202 yards ~ against the Steelers in the second meeting between these two teams).
   
   Obviously the most impressive part of that low yardage total is the job that the Steelers' run defense did ~ the 73 yards rushing for Baltimore was their second-lowest total of the season (the lowest total was 10/12/08 versus Indianapolis ~ 51 yards), and came against an offense that averaged 148.5 yards of rushing during the regular season and 91.3 yards per playoff game.
   
   In addition to the yardage allowed, the Steelers defense sacked Joe Flacco three times, making it an even 10 sacks by Pittsburgh against Mr. Flacco on the season. To put that into some kind of perspective, in the other 16 games the Ravens played this season Mr. Flacco was sacked a total of 25 times.
   
   During the previous 18 games Joe Flacco threw 12 interceptions. On Sunday the Steelers picked off three passes.
   
   Going into the game there were some who expected the Ravens to have an answer for the Steelers. Based upon this game we are not sure the Ravens' offense understood the question.


2. Every time Baltimore and Pittsburgh play we hear all about Ray Lewis, and what a great player he is. Fair enough ~ he is a great player; however if he is great then what about James Farrior? In the game Mr. Lewis had 6 tackles, 3 assists, defended 1 pass, and forced 1 fumble. Meanwhile, the less heralded James Farrior had 6 tackles, 3 assists, and defended 1 pass ~ and had the good fortune of having played on the winning team. Mr. Lewis talks more, but Mr. Farrior's impact on the field of play iis as least as significant.


3. Special teams were something of a mixed bag on Sunday, but the kick coverage team did a terrific job. During the regular season Baltimore averaged 20.1 yards per return, and averaged 22.8 yards per return in the December 14th meeting between these two teams. This past Sunday the Patrick Bailey, Keyaron Fox, Anthony Madison, et al limited the Ravens to a 14.3 yard average. As a result the Ravens' average starting point was the 24 yard line and, based upon the results (i.e. the turnovers) keeping them on a long field had a significant impact.


4. Troy Polamalu, we salute you. The interception and return for a touchdown ~ on a play which we predicted would be the most important play of the game (our exact words immediately before the snap were "this is the ballgame!") ~ is obviously a moment no Steelers fan will ever forget. But his leaping stop of Joe Flacco late in the first quarter on fourth-and-one at the Steelers 34-yard line kept Baltimore off the scoreboard (and there is no doubt as to how important that was), and certainly set the tone for the game ~ despite trailing by only six points at halftime, the Ravens ran the ball 10 times in the second half.
   
   However unorthodox Mr. Polamalu's offseason training regimen, here's hoping Casey Hampton gets on the same program.


5. Last but certainly not least is the matter of Ben Roethlisberger. The passing numbers are decent if not spectacular ~ one can only imagine how those numbers would have looked if Willie Parker had held on to the first quarter pass thrown in his direction, or if the first quarter pass thrown to Santonio Holmes had been ruled a touchdown rather than an incompletion when it was reviewed, or if Limas Sweed had held on to the second quarter touchdown pass thrown to him ~ but what pleased us most was that he threw no interceptions and did not fumble the football. He created opportunities by moving around in the pocket, but when it was time to get rid of the football he did so, and did so without falling victim to Ed Reed. It was a mature and seasoned performance.

The Bad

1. We understand that the Baltimore defense is very strong versus the run; however 52 yards of rushing, and a per rush average of 1.9 yards is putrid (by way of comparison, in the first meeting between these two teams the Steelers averaged 2.5 yards per rush, and in the second game they averaged 3.4 yards per rush). The offensive line did a very good job protecting Ben Roethlisberger on pass plays, but their inability to open holes for the running backs ~ in re-watching the game it was clear that there was little or no surge from the offensive line (i.e. Baltimore's defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage on running plays) ~ has been a problem all season long.


2. We do not have any major complaints about the offensive game plan; however Bruce Arians nearly cost the Steelers a chance at the Super Bowl with a single play call. Early in the fourth quarter, with third-and-one at their own 37 yard line, the Steelers went to an empty backfield, and Ben Roethlisberger threw a very poor pass. Creativity is a great thing, but we question the empty backfield ~ if a pass is to be thrown, why not make it a play action pass? It was a poor play call poorly executed, and (thanks to the Steelers special teams) nearly had disasterous consequences.

The Ugly

1. Mitch Berger's 21-yard kick in the fourth quarter appeared to be what one wag (i.e. Big Dan the 'Burgh Man) described as "an onside punt," and immediately followed the questionable third-and-one play call previously mentioned. The result of these two plays was to give Baltimore the football at their own 42 yard line, and the Ravens managed to score their second touchdown on a six play drive.
   
   More generally, poor punt coverage ~ a problem that cropped up versus San Diego ~ reared its ugly head again, with Jim Leonhard averaging 10.8 yards per return, and had a long of 45 yards. Though it must certainly be obvious we feel compelled to point something out: Making mistakes in special teams play, especially at this time of the season is a formula for losing, and nobody knows that better than fans of the Steelers.


2. Chris Kemoeatu, feel free not to get any more ill-advised personal foul calls for the remainder of your career with the Steelers (he is a free agent this offseason). His transgression turned what should have been third-and-five into third-and-nineteen, effectively killing the drive. Playing with composure is always important, but is especially so in big games.

Looking forward to Super Bowl XLIII, as big as the challenges will be for the Steelers the team (and their fans) can take some comfort in knowing that they got to the big game without playing their best football. However, no one should doubt that it will take their very best effort to win their sixth Lombardi trophy.

Steelers Interviews ~ James Farrior

Several members of the Steelers were available to the media on Friday. Here is what James Farrior had to say (as a side note, in Sporting News Today on Saturday Clinton Portis described Mr. Farrior as "a high-energy guy who probably has slowed down a step or two compared to his wonder years in the NFL"):

Are the Ravens your top rival and why?

I believe so. I believe that the games that we’ve played throughout the years have been such great games and great contests that both teams have grown to dislike each other to a level where they’re our biggest rival. We face those guys twice a year and it’s definitely a game we circle on our schedule every year.

Could you explain what that’s like and how it manifests itself?

It was here before I got here. It was something that was instilled in the Steelers long before I got here and it didn’t change when I got here. I kind of grew into it real fast when I first got here and it has just been growing over the years. I think the main thing is just competition, the level of competition, that we both go through it what makes it a good rivalry.

Do you get the sense that people are glad for another shot at the Ravens?

This is our third time. We thought we’d put dirt on them a couple of times. The first couple games we thought we had them out of there, but they’re a great team and they fought back hard to get themselves in this position. It’s going to be fun facing them for the third time. The ultimate prize in on the line to go to the Super Bowl. It’s going to be a good one this time.

Le’Ron McClain was compared to Jerome Bettis. Do you agree and what are you thoughts on the challenges he poses to you guys?

I would agree to a certain extent. I wouldn’t put him up there in Jerome’s (Bettis) category just yet. He’s got a long way to go. Jerome, he’s a Hall of Fame player. Everybody knows what he is around here. He’s (Le’Ron McClain) a good running back. He’s a tough runner and he’s tough to tackle. For a guy his size he has very good speed and very good vision. We are going to have our hands full with him. He had some success against us the last time. We are going to look to do some things a little differently to try to keep him from getting those yards.

How do you think you might be able to exploit Joe Flacco’s inexperience in general and the fact that he’s never played in a game like this?

I don’t know. We tried it the first two games and it didn’t really work. I don’t know what we are going to do this time. We are going to have to come up with something new. We all have a lot of confidence in Coach LeBeau and what he brings to the defense. We know he’s going to have something good for him. We probably won’t be able to rouse him, but we’re going to make something happen and force him to do some things that he might not want to do.

Earlier this week Derek Mason said “the Ravens are coming so prepare yourself.” Do you have any reaction to that?

Yeah. We’ll be ready. We’ll be waiting when he gets here. We don’t really look at those type of things. Coach Tomlin has done a great job all week of trying to keep us down. We don’t want to give those guys anything to put on the bulletin board. They’ve been talking and we saw the sound bytes and all that that stuff. It doesn’t matter. It’s going to come down to who plays the best. All the words that are being said right now won’t mean a bit when that game starts.

Does that mean if the cameras weren’t here you’d have a different answer?

Yeah, we’ll see at game time.

What is it about the Ravens that you don’t like?

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that they are so similar to our team. They are sort of a mirror image of us. They do the same things that we try to do as a football team and that’s control the ball on offense and play great defense. That’s how we’ve been winning football games around here and that’s how they’ve been winning. I mean when you get two bullies going up against each other. It’s about who is the strongest bully.

How do you find the closeness in generations between the coach and players to be an advantage?

I actually played against the guy, but you guys don’t know that. I played against him I think one year. I told him a long time ago if I would have known that he would be the coach that I would have really been going after him. I feel like it’s a good thing that he’s so young in age and that he’s so close to our generation. He can relate to his players better on that level. He’s a couple years older than me. I’m sure we have some things similar that we like to do and things of that nature. I feel like he can talk to the players on the level that we are on. He’s able to get his points across to us and that’s probably the main thing. He’s just able to relate to our generation a lot better than older coaches.

Steelers @ New England:The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

Based upon information from the Steelers' media relations department we happily provide you with this fun fact: Including the game against the Patriots, Pittsburgh is now 5-0 in games in which the opponent has scored first, and broke an 0-5 streak the Steelers had at Gillette Stadium. More importantly the Steelers are now 8-1 in the conference, and managed to maintain (at least for this week) their one game lead over a very hot Baltimore team.

With that, and so much more, in mind we offer some of our thoughts on the game.

The Good

1. Given the brilliance of the performances in all phases of the game it seems unfair to single at anyone for special attention; however we are going to begin with someone who has felt the sting of our (much deserved) wrath on more than a few occasions.
   
   Bruce Arians, you were magnificent on Sunday.
   
   Mr. Arians found the balance that he seems to always be in search of ~ the Steelers had 34 rushing plays and 34 passing plays ~ but more significant was the rhythm (always a subjective thing) that the offense achieved, especially in the second half. Moreover, during an incredible third quarter, Mr. Arians used his play calling to dictate personnel moves to the Patriots' defense (i.e. the use of the three wide receiver package kept the Patriots in the nickel) thereby opening up the run (the Steelers rushed for 54 yards ~ six more than they had in the entire first half.
   
   On this one day, after so many previous games against this opponent resulted in so much frustration, Bruce Arians outcoached Bill Belichick.
   
   There, we said it.


2. For years the Steelers' special teams were anything but special, and we were pretty critical of Bob Ligashesky's performance last season.
   
   Bob Ligashesky, you were magnificent on Sunday.
   
   Coming into this game the Patriots had been averaging 11.7 yards per punt return. Against the Steelers they averaged zero yards in punt returns.
   
   Coming into this game the Patriots had been averaging 25.1 yards per kick return.
   Against the Steelers they averaged 19.6 yards per return.
   
   Coming into this game the Patriots had given up an average of 12.9 yards per opponent punt return. On Sunday the Steelers averaged 14.5 yards per punt return.
   
   Keyaron Fox is showing the league why the Steelers signed him as a free agent (1 special teams tackle, 1 assist, 1 huge fumble recovery), and Anthony Madison leads the team in special teams tackles (3 versus New England).
   
   Lest we forget, welcome back Mitch Berger!


3. But no group within the Steelers has received as much criticism as the offensive line and their coach, Larry Zierlein.
   
   Larry Zierlein, on Sunday you were magnificent.
   
   For the third consecutive game, and the seventh time this season, the Steelers rushed for more than 100 yards ~ in the case of Sunday's game they rushed for 161 yards, the second highest total of the season (the highest total was 183 yards versus Houston in the opening game of the season), as well as the second highest total surrendered by New England this season (the highest total was 216 yards on September 21 versus Miami) ~ and the 4.7 average yards per carry is tied for second best this season (the highest was an average 5.0 yards per carry versus Jacksonville).
   
   On Sunday Ben Roethlisberger was sacked once, after not having been sacked at all in the previous game versus Cincinnati, for a two game total of one sack allowed ~ the lowest two game total of the entire season.
   
   It's a bit too soon to say that any of this represents a trend, but for one day we can all be encouraged.


4. There are no superlatives left with which to describe the Steelers' defense.
   
   On Sunday, the Steelers forced New England into as many turnovers (4) as the Patriots' had in their previous three games combined.
   
   On Sunday, the Steelers held the Patriots to 1-of-13 (8%) on third down conversions ~ and that came on the final play of the game.
   
   The Patriots' offense gained more than 500 net yards in each of their previous two games. On Sunday they were held to 267 net yards, their third lowest total of the season and their lowest since they gained 215 yards versus Miami on September 21st.
   
   The Patriots' ten points is tied for their lowest total this season; and their scorless second half is the first time all season they have been shutout in two consecutive quarters.
   
   Aaron Smith, James Farrior, James Harrison (we never thought we would see the day when Matt Light was lit up the way Mr. Harrison did), LaMarr Woodley, and Troy Polamalu all deserve your Pro Bowl vote, and Ryan Clark is arguably the most underrated free safety in the NFL (and we respectfully disagree with the personal foul call on his hit of Wes Welker).
   
   (oh, and Anthony Madison is a Pro Bowler at the Special Teams position)

The Bad

1. We are going to go out on a limb and say that the Steelers, as a team, have the worst hands of any team in the NFL. We counted two dropped interceptions (one each by Troy Polamalu and, the serial offender, Ike Taylor), three dropped passes (one each by Santonio Holmes ~ the offense's answer to Ike Taylor ~ Heath Miller, and Willie Parker), one fumbled kickoff (Carey Davis, nice way to begin the game), and one muffed punt (Mewelde Moore). With Pittsburgh in its toughest part of the schedule those kinds of miscues/missed opportunities might come back to haunt them.


2. What was going on with the run defense in the first half? The Patriots had 80 yards on 10 carries in the first thirty minutes of the game, by far the highest total surrendered in the first half of any game this season ~ in fact it is more than the game total that the Steelers defense surrendered in eight of their previous games. While it is unlikely that the Patriots have uncovered a previously unknown weakness in Pittsburgh's defense, with Marion Barber to worry about next week we can only hope this is not the beginning of something ugly.

The Ugly

1. As rare as a day off for the players during the season, on this day we simply did not see anything from the Steelers that we could characterize as ugly. The team's performance against New England was solid throughout, and the third quarter was, to this point at least, the highlight of the season.

Just Who is the Best Linebacker?

The commercials that ESPN is using to trumpet Monday evening's matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers features one of the most recognizable and lionized personalities in the National Football League ~ Ray Lewis. He dances, he prances, he talks incessantly; and for those reasons ~ not to mention is excellent play during the game ~ the media showers him with the attention he seeks. Moreover, his perceived excellence as a player is also enhanced by the frenetic activity of both his pregame rituals (and their appeal to the media, particularly television) and his play on the field. However, despite Mr. Lewis' nine Pro Bowl selections, we wonder if he is the best inside linebacker in the AFC North much less the entire conference.

He doesn't dance, or prance, and doesn't seem to do much talking on the field but James Farrior is more than good ~ over the last six seasons (i.e. 2002-2007) he's been better than his heralded rival from Baltimore, and has arguably been the best inside linebacker in the AFC. As usual, the numbers do not lie:

1. Games Played: It may seem like a no-brainer, but the more a team's impact players are on the field the more impactful they are.
   
   Duh.
   
   But in addition to that, the salary cap makes it difficult (if not impossible) to adequately replace big-ticket players. Since joining the Steelers in 2002, Mr. Farrior has started 92 games ~ missing a total of four games (two in 2002 and two in 2005). In other words, Mr. Farrior played in 95.8% of the games that the Steelers played. Conversely, Ray Lewis has played in 70 games since 2002 (inclusive) and has played a complete schedule only once in that time (2003). Stated another way, Mr. Lewis has missed more than 30% of his team's games during this period. Reliability is a part of being great, and James Farrior is about as reliable as a professional football player can be.


2. Total Tackles: During the last two seasons (i.e. 2006-2007) Ray Lewis has recorded 348 total tackles (i.e. tackles and assists combined), a remarkable achievement. However during the last six seasons James Farrior has recorded 705 total tackles while Mr. Lewis has 643. It is a testimony to Mr. Lewis' skill that his per game average (9.19) is better than Mr. Farrior's (7.66), but Mr. Farrior outproduced his more heralded counterpart by nearly ten percent.


3. Sacks: We have to admit to some surprise here ~ James Farrior 15, only 10.5 for Mr. Lewis. For all the images of Mr. Lewis flying around the field, terrorizing quarterbacks it has been James Farrior who has been bringing them down more often.


4. Forced Fumbles: Ray Lewis 8, James Farrior 12.


5. Fumbles Recovered: Here we have a tie ~ both men have seven.

Unlike most arguments over sports we're not trying to denigrate the abilities or performance of one player to boost another. To the contrary, we believe Mr. Lewis is a Hall of Fame caliber linebacker. However an objective look at the evidence reveals the undeniable truth that Mr. Farrior is even better.

Steelers @ Philadelphia:The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

On October 30, 1966 the Pittsburgh Steelers travelled to Dallas and lost to the Cowboys 52-21. In that game the Steelers set a few team records that day that still stand including fewest rushing yards (7), and most sacks allowed (12) which should show us all that the game versus Philadelphia could have been worse.

Not much, but it could have been worse.

The Good

1. The performance by the Steelers' defense was enough to bring tears to our eyes. Faced with the ineffectual performance of the offense, we kept waiting for the defense to collapse under the strain ~ something they never did. Everyone on the defensive side of the ball was tremendous, but here are a few of the standouts:
   
   
   • LaMarr Woodley looked like a veteran, and played better than his two tackles and a sack would indicate.
   
   
   • Larry Foote is a veteran, his 1.5 sacks led the team.
   
   
   • Bryant McFadden? Five tackles and an interception
   
   
   • Travis Kirschke? Six tackles, and a half a sack.
   
   
   • James Farrior led the defense with seven tackles, and forced a fumble.
   
   
   • Then there was Troy Polamalu's third interception in as many weeks to go along with five tackles.
   
   The high-powered Eagles' offense, who had scored 75 points in their first two games, were held to thirteen points by a determined and tenacious Steelers defense. It should have been enough to win, but not this week.


2. On a day when field position was even more critical than usual Steelers punter Mitch Berger performed well. His net average for this game wasn't eye popping (39.2 yards), but three of his five punts (did he really only punt five times?) were downed inside the Eagles' twenty yard line. Keeping the Eagles on a long field helped the defense immeasurably, and that kept the Steelers in the game almost until the end.


3. While we're talking about kickers, Jeff Reed continues to perform at an All-Pro level, and his 53-yard field goal near the end of the first half should have been a momentum changer.


4. Our coach is better looking than their coach

The Bad

1. We've said it before, the line between "bad" and "ugly" is a thin one, and very subjective. With that in mind we are going to designate offensive coordinator Bruce Arians "ugly," at least for this week. Specifically the play calling, which has been rather good during the first two games, never seemed to register the fact that the Eagles' defense was (to put it mildly) disrupting the Steelers' offense.
   
   Drop back passes, especially when your quarterback is prone to holding onto the football, are not the best types of pass plays to call. We're sure we must have just missed them, but did anyone notice many two tight end sets? The idea of having the extra blocking available must have occurred to someone, and it might have even helped the running game. Moreover, the tight ends could have been used to "chip" oncoming rushers and then release as a safety valve. We only watched the game once, so it is possible that this approach was attempted but we certainly did not see any sustained efforts in this regard.
   
   The result was 5- and 7-step drops only to have Ben Roethlisberger swarmed over. We might also point out that this is just another reason to have the running back more active as a receiver in the passing game ~ but that would be piling on.

The Ugly

1. Throw the ball Ben!
   
   Much will be made of the offensive line's struggles on Sunday, and we will do our share in that regard, but a big part of the difference between Philadelphia's defensive effort last week (when they surrendered 41 points) and this week was Mr. Roethlisberger's insistence on holding on to the football. This is something we have harped on before, but apparently it did not do much good. So we are trying again.
   
   Throw the ball Ben!


2. The offensive line was beaten like a drum for much of the day; and while it is true that Ben Roethlisberger's propensity for holding on to the football did not help matters much we also think that Justin Hartwig did a terrible job of coordinating the zone blocking attack, and that Willie Colon looked overmatched.
   
   How many times will defenders come unabated, up-the-middle, before Mr. Hatwig figures out that it's probably a good idea for him to get in the way? As for Mr. Colon, we're not sure if it was just a case of the Eagles' defensive end having superior speed, Mr. Colon having average to below-average footwork, or a combination of the two factors.
   
   When an offensive line fails so completely, so utterly, it is as shocking as it is painful. Between Mr. Roethlisberger's inability to get rid of the football more quickly and the offensive line's inability to provide any real time to throw (which comes first, the chicken or the egg?) it's a wonder the Steelers scored any points at all.

Conclusion

What Philadelphia's defense did Sunday was something that Cleveland was able to do, to a much smaller degree, in the preceding week. It is clear that opponents perceive the Steelers' passing attack (i.e. wide receiver-centric), Mr. Roethlisberger's unwillingness to throw the ball quickly, and the offensive line's inability to contend with the blitz as something of a soft underbelly to the Steelers' offense. This past Sunday that weakness undermined an amazing performance by the Steelers' defense. Let's hope the coaches and players on the offensive side of the football figure out how to fix the problem sooner rather than later.

February 2009 Could Get Ugly

An article in Wednesday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette contained a couple of nuggets which correct points made here, and elsewhere.

First off, the 8-year deal signed by Mr. Roethlisberger is not an extension but a brand new contract (i.e. the final two years of his old deal were voided), meaning that he is signed with the Steelers through the 2015 season.

Secondly, instead of reducing his number against the salary cap the new contract actually increases his number for the 2008 season. Furthermore, as Ed Bouchette points out in the article, "[Mr. Roethlisberger's] salary leaps to $8.05 million in 2010. He will earn $11.6 million annually through the 2014 season. He will earn $12.1 million in the eighth and final year of the new contract, 2015." Which got us to wondering just what that might mean for future seasons (putting aside, temporarily, the collective bargaining battle that lies ahead for the league and the player's association) -- specifically next off-season.

So we went to the good folks at KFFL to find out just how many free agents the Steelers might have next February. While most of the names are not those of Pro Bowlers there are enough here, combined with the big dollars being paid to Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu (the two of them will account for more than $12,000,000 of the Steelers' $116,000,000 payroll), to make us wonder just what's going to happen. Here's a look at former Steelers, the 2009 edition:

Player	Position	Status
Charlie Batch	QB	UFA
Najeh Davenport	RB	UFA
Carey Davis	RB	RFA
Willie Reid	WR	RFA
Cedrick Wilson	WR	UFA
Jon Dekker	TE	RFA
Willie Colon	OL	RFA
Jerremy Parquet	OL	RFA
Marvel Smith	OL	UFA
Jason Capizzi	OL	RFA
Ryan McBean	DL	RFA
James Farrior	LB	UFA
Bryant McFadden	CB	UFA
Anthony Madison	S	RFA
Anthony Smith	S	RFA

A list of 15 potential free agents is a daunting thing, and considering that of those at least nine started games in 2007 we begin to get an idea of just how tough things could get.

As Steelers fans it is our nature to see the glass as at least half empty, so it's important to remember that the salary cap will increase next off-season -- our guess is that an additional 6.5% of spending will be permitted -- but how many of the players on the list will $7,540,000 bring back?

I have to admit to being a big fan of James Farrior, but he will be 34-years old next January. As a result of all the factors at work it seems certain that 2008 will be his final season in Pittsburgh. Additionally Cedrick Wilson, who has been something of a disappointment, will turn 30 in December -- bye, bye Ced. Najeh? Charlie? It definitely doesn't look good for them, at least right now. And Marvel Smith has probably already got his boxes ready for packing.

On the other hand the restricted free agents -- especially Messrs. Colon, Davis, Madison, Reid, and Smith -- all can be expected back (i.e. barring an insane contract offer from another team) in Pittsburgh.

Ahhh, but all of that can be put aside for now -- what with the draft . . . and training camp . . . and an entire season to be played before any of this comes to the fore. But, like you, we're not happy unless there's something to worry about.

Getting Draft Ready -- Assessing the Linebackers

It has been mentioned elsewhere but it bears repeating -- if you want to get an idea of where the Steelers are headed (vis-a-vis the defensive scheme) one need only examine what players the team drafts at the linebacker position; and there should be no doubt that linebacker is a spot that is high on the Steelers' draft list.

Going into to the 2007 season there are eight linebackers currently listed on the team's depth chart (Clark Haggans, James Farrior, Rian Wallace, Richard Seigler -- practice squad, Larry Foote, Clint Kriewaldt, Joey Porter, and James Harrison) and of those, three (Mr. Porter, Mr. Haggans, and Mr. Harrison) are scheduled to become free agents at the end of the upcoming season, and two others (Mr. Farrior and Mr. Kriewaldt) are scheduled to be free agents at the conclusion of the 2008 season. Compounding that is the fact that four of these players (Mr. Farrior, Mr. Haggans, Mr. Kriewaldt, and Mr. Porter) will be thirty years of age, or older, when the 2007 season begins. Despite a rapid descent into old age, this group appears more than capable of handling the rigors of at least one more year.

For example, collectively, the fours starters (Mr. Haggans, Mr. Farrior, Mr. Foote, and Mr. Porter) missed a total of three games during the 2006 season, and that after missing a total of five games in 2005. Clearly durability does not appear to be an issue. On the field, the linebacking corps continues to perform at a high level -- as a group they combined for 7 interceptions (the highest total in the last seven years), 21 sacks (only 1/2 of a sack less than 2005), and 347 tackles & assists -- including James Farrior's team-leading 126, the third highest single-season total of his career (by way of comparison, Baltimore's much heralded starting linebackers combined for 353 tackles, and were led by Ray Lewis' 103) .

However, the 3-4 defense is designed to combat the running attack of the opposing offense, and the linebackers are the key to that. So, if there was a disappointment in 2006 it was that the Steelers' defense gave up the third highest number of net rushing yards (1,412) in the past seven seasons.

While the Steelers' linebackers continue to be amongst the best in the NFL there are questions of depth (will Arnold Harrison, who tore up knee ligaments return to the Steelers?) for 2007 season which must be immediately addressed, as well as long-term planning for 2008 and 2009. It is the hallmark of the free agency era in the NFL that a unit that is performing, and has performed, so well should simultaneously be such a significant question mark.