I-Want-Troy's-Hair
10-17-2006, 10:31 AM
Uh-oh: Steelers had that look again against Chiefs
Oct. 16, 2006 - By Clark Judge
I know it's only one game, but I'd beware of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
They didn't just beat the Kansas City Chiefs, they humiliated them. And they did it the way they buried teams in the past: by pounding them with the run, then finishing them off with perfectly thrown passes.
Big Ben didn't do much vs. K.C., but he doesn't have to for Pittsburgh. (Getty Images)
Sure, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was terrific, but he only threw 19 passes, for crying out loud. He was good when he had to be, which is how the Steelers like to play. They're not about Big Ben, they're about hammering you with a physical defense and a relentless rushing attack.
And that's how they destroyed Kansas City.
Of course, all the postgame talk was about Roethlisberger, his first win and his first touchdown passes of the year. OK fine, but the guy has showed improvement dating back to the second half of the club's loss to Cincinnati. I know there were a couple of hiccups in San Diego, but the Chargers are an aggressive, intimidating defense that make a lot of quarterbacks look bad.
"What I liked most is that he handled that little bit of adversity, stood up, didn't run away from it and was accountable," said offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. "When you have a quarterback with an accountability factor, it's always good to see him weather the storm."
But it's not as if he hasn't done this before. Go back to last season when Roethlisberger bowed out with a knee injury, then returned for a Monday night road game and a Sunday afternoon follow up against Cincinnati at home. He wasn't sharp, and neither were the Steelers, losing both as Roethlisberger threw five interceptions.
Now, fast forward to this year when Roethlisberger returned for a Monday night loss in Jacksonville, followed by a Sunday matinee with Cincinnati in Pittsburgh. While he was better against the Bengals, he still wasn't himself, throwing -- you guessed it -- five interceptions in two losses.
Still, he pulled out of his funk -- just as he did a year ago when the Steelers waxed Chicago at home, with Roethlisberger completing 13 of 20 passes. This time he tried one fewer pass against the Chiefs, but the results were the same.
Pittsburgh picked itself off the mat.
Now we get to see what it means when the Steelers go to Atlanta, where the Falcons are wobbling after losing two of three. A year ago, Pittsburgh moved on to another indoor venue, Minnesota, and took care of the Vikings, with Roethlisberger throwing 15 times -- which may be this weekend's script.
Remember, he's not the lead actor here. The Steelers don't need him to be Peyton Manning or Donovan McNabb to win. In fact, in Pittsburgh's four victories to close the 2005 regular season, Big Ben never threw more than 20 passes and only once threw for more than 173 yards.
No, this is more about the Steelers and what they can do as a team -- and what they did to Kansas City was shred it with an attack that has been the hallmark of Pittsburgh clubs for decades. That's why I'd be careful of these guys. They've been through this before and didn't just survive, they won a Super Bowl.
I'm not saying that happens here. What I am saying is that the Steelers aren't in as much trouble as people think. Let's just say Pittsburgh beats the Falcons to reach .500. Then what? Then they knock off Oakland on Oct. 29 and remain no worse than a loss behind Cincinnati and Baltimore in the AFC North when they face Denver at home on Nov. 5.
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And that's where we find out about this club.
But forget about Denver. The subject is Pittsburgh, and the Steelers finally are out of their rut. So the Chiefs aren't one of the best clubs out there. They're not one of the worst, either. In fact, they had the league's third-ranked defense before they were ravaged for 457 yards by Pittsburgh.
Which is precisely the point: Pittsburgh won the way it's used to winning. It ran the ball. It controlled the line of scrimmage. It controlled the clock. It dominated on defense. It made few mistakes. And when it passed, it passed effectively.
I know there's a lot of talk about Roethlisberger, but this goes far beyond what he's able to do. There's the play of running back Willie Parker. And the defense. And, most important, an offensive line that protects Big Ben and opens the door for Parker.
In short, the line is back to where it should be after a dreadful performance against Jacksonville. The key for Pittsburgh is what happens up front, and what happened there Sunday was that the Steelers dominated their opponent so completely you wonder if this is the springboard they've been looking for.
All I know is that Pittsburgh's much-maligned offense was back on track and a defense that was missing one of its premier performers, linebacker Joey Porter, just scored as many touchdowns (one) as it allowed. So be careful, people, before writing this team off.
The Steelers do things in bunches, running the table after falling to 7-5 last season and winning 15 of 16 the year before. You don't want to play them when they're hot, and it's too soon to tell if they are -- but the signs aren't good for upcoming opponents.
"Hey, it's only one game," said Whisenhunt. "It was big for us, but the key will be if we can sustain it. One game doesn't mean anything."
But it could. It did a year ago.
Oct. 16, 2006 - By Clark Judge
I know it's only one game, but I'd beware of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
They didn't just beat the Kansas City Chiefs, they humiliated them. And they did it the way they buried teams in the past: by pounding them with the run, then finishing them off with perfectly thrown passes.
Big Ben didn't do much vs. K.C., but he doesn't have to for Pittsburgh. (Getty Images)
Sure, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was terrific, but he only threw 19 passes, for crying out loud. He was good when he had to be, which is how the Steelers like to play. They're not about Big Ben, they're about hammering you with a physical defense and a relentless rushing attack.
And that's how they destroyed Kansas City.
Of course, all the postgame talk was about Roethlisberger, his first win and his first touchdown passes of the year. OK fine, but the guy has showed improvement dating back to the second half of the club's loss to Cincinnati. I know there were a couple of hiccups in San Diego, but the Chargers are an aggressive, intimidating defense that make a lot of quarterbacks look bad.
"What I liked most is that he handled that little bit of adversity, stood up, didn't run away from it and was accountable," said offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. "When you have a quarterback with an accountability factor, it's always good to see him weather the storm."
But it's not as if he hasn't done this before. Go back to last season when Roethlisberger bowed out with a knee injury, then returned for a Monday night road game and a Sunday afternoon follow up against Cincinnati at home. He wasn't sharp, and neither were the Steelers, losing both as Roethlisberger threw five interceptions.
Now, fast forward to this year when Roethlisberger returned for a Monday night loss in Jacksonville, followed by a Sunday matinee with Cincinnati in Pittsburgh. While he was better against the Bengals, he still wasn't himself, throwing -- you guessed it -- five interceptions in two losses.
Still, he pulled out of his funk -- just as he did a year ago when the Steelers waxed Chicago at home, with Roethlisberger completing 13 of 20 passes. This time he tried one fewer pass against the Chiefs, but the results were the same.
Pittsburgh picked itself off the mat.
Now we get to see what it means when the Steelers go to Atlanta, where the Falcons are wobbling after losing two of three. A year ago, Pittsburgh moved on to another indoor venue, Minnesota, and took care of the Vikings, with Roethlisberger throwing 15 times -- which may be this weekend's script.
Remember, he's not the lead actor here. The Steelers don't need him to be Peyton Manning or Donovan McNabb to win. In fact, in Pittsburgh's four victories to close the 2005 regular season, Big Ben never threw more than 20 passes and only once threw for more than 173 yards.
No, this is more about the Steelers and what they can do as a team -- and what they did to Kansas City was shred it with an attack that has been the hallmark of Pittsburgh clubs for decades. That's why I'd be careful of these guys. They've been through this before and didn't just survive, they won a Super Bowl.
I'm not saying that happens here. What I am saying is that the Steelers aren't in as much trouble as people think. Let's just say Pittsburgh beats the Falcons to reach .500. Then what? Then they knock off Oakland on Oct. 29 and remain no worse than a loss behind Cincinnati and Baltimore in the AFC North when they face Denver at home on Nov. 5.
Advertisement
And that's where we find out about this club.
But forget about Denver. The subject is Pittsburgh, and the Steelers finally are out of their rut. So the Chiefs aren't one of the best clubs out there. They're not one of the worst, either. In fact, they had the league's third-ranked defense before they were ravaged for 457 yards by Pittsburgh.
Which is precisely the point: Pittsburgh won the way it's used to winning. It ran the ball. It controlled the line of scrimmage. It controlled the clock. It dominated on defense. It made few mistakes. And when it passed, it passed effectively.
I know there's a lot of talk about Roethlisberger, but this goes far beyond what he's able to do. There's the play of running back Willie Parker. And the defense. And, most important, an offensive line that protects Big Ben and opens the door for Parker.
In short, the line is back to where it should be after a dreadful performance against Jacksonville. The key for Pittsburgh is what happens up front, and what happened there Sunday was that the Steelers dominated their opponent so completely you wonder if this is the springboard they've been looking for.
All I know is that Pittsburgh's much-maligned offense was back on track and a defense that was missing one of its premier performers, linebacker Joey Porter, just scored as many touchdowns (one) as it allowed. So be careful, people, before writing this team off.
The Steelers do things in bunches, running the table after falling to 7-5 last season and winning 15 of 16 the year before. You don't want to play them when they're hot, and it's too soon to tell if they are -- but the signs aren't good for upcoming opponents.
"Hey, it's only one game," said Whisenhunt. "It was big for us, but the key will be if we can sustain it. One game doesn't mean anything."
But it could. It did a year ago.