Team-Wide Toughness

I keep a copy of the Pro Football Weekly Preview issue around for quick reference, a habit that pre-dates the Internet when you actually had to look up stats and schedules in the back of a book instead of pulling up every piece of data you could dream of with the click of a mouse.

Well, there's one line that has stuck with me all season long.

"The Steelers have a top-flight QB, a rugged defense and a team-wide toughness."

The first two are well-discussed.  The third is taken for granted until the weather turns cold, the season drags on and the injuries mount.

This is one tough team, and it is truly team-wide.


Ben Roethlisberger

The guy was beaten down a month ago, looking punch-drunk and lost.  He was booed at home and the quickest ship-jumpers were noisily pining for Byron Leftwich.

But, like Hulk Hogan taking forearm shivers from the Iron Sheik, Ben has responded to every blow by standing up just a little bit more.  He's on his feet now, and if he keeps building you can foresee a moment in the near future where Ben unleashes a flurry of misery on another team.

Ben is adapting and learning each week.  He's taking care of the ball and he's not taking sacks.  He doesn't have great numbers.  Certainly not the kind of numbers that bring national attention.  But he's playing winning football, and that's what matters, not passer ratings or TD/INT ratios.

It's winter, and Ben has the chance to build each week simply because he refused to pack it in when the chips were down.  He's played through injuries and offensive line problems that would have put other QB's on the shelf.  He's dealt with drops and mistakes by his team-mates but never threw them under the bus.

He's a captain, and this is his ship.


Willie Parker

Even while authoring dominant performances in 2006 and 2007, Willie Parker was still criticized as a guy who only had one weapon - speed.  He didn't have the vision or toughness to pick up tough yards.  The argument was, if you take away Willie Parker's speed, he'd have nothing left.  The argument intensified after Parker suffered a broken leg against the Rams last year.  If Willie couldn't recover and lost a step, would he be worthless?

Well, we have our answer as Willie continues to grind out yards without his 4th gear and it proves something - Willie Parker's best asset has never been his speed, it's always been his heart.

Willie Parker showed up in camp 100%, having grinded out the work necessary to recuperate.  His speed was back.  A late-preseason knee injury ruined the comeback.  He was then hurt again against the Eagles.

However, Parker has persevered and has found ways to contribute big-time in 3 different victories (Washington, San Diego, New England) since his return from a 5 game layoff.  Don't look now, but Parker would only need 107 yards a game over these next 4 weeks to finish with 1,000 yards this season, though he'll likely be correctly saved for bigger things come playoff time.


Hines Ward

Hines Ward is on pace for his first 1,000 yard season since 2004, and it's a testament to his grit and determination.  He's no longer much of a threat after the catch and struggles against top cornerbacks, but he simply makes the plays that win games.  Whether it's inline blocking at the line of scrimmage against bigger guys or laying out defensive backs downfield, Ward is a major factor in the growing mental advantage that this team brings. 

During the Bengals/Ravens game yesterday, Ryan Fitzpatrick got outside on a scramble and T.J. Houshmandzadeh had Ray Lewis lined up for the crackback.  Lewis turned his head and delivered a stiff blow on T.J., but he didn't lay a hand on Fitzgerald.  No doubt both players were thinking of Hines Ward/Keith Rivers on that play, and in the end the offense got the best of it.

When we think of players hearing footsteps, we think of wideouts.  Thanks to Ward, we're starting to think of linebackers hearing footsteps.  There will be a situation at some point this season where a Steelers running back gains the edge simply because the opposing linebacker is scared to pursue full speed to the sideline.


Aaron Smith

I would pay an extra $100 a month for NFL Sunday Ticket if they introduced an Aaron Smith cam, isolating on him each and every play.  The guy absorbs shots from 2-3 guys on every single play, every single week and yet never, ever takes a down off.  Around the league, teams sign these mega-talented defensive linemen to mega-rich contracts and then ask them to play 2 gap.  And they play 2 gap - when they feel like it.  Aaron Smith could play until he's forty if his body holds up.  Time can take away your speed.  Time can take away some explosiveness.  Time cannot take away desire.

Brett Keisel has missed a bunch of games this season, and the run defense hasn't fallen apart.  Casey Hampton missed a bunch of games this season, and the run defense didn't fall apart.  Aaron Smith missed the last few games last season and the run defense fell apart.

Smith definitely deserves some credit for all the pressure on Matt Cassel - the right side of the Patriots' line simply couldn't handle him, which made it hard for the Pats to give much help to Matt Light.


James Harrison

Speaking of Matt Light, he probably wishes he had been suspended.  Silverback set Light up with the bull rush all night and then BAM! he takes off around the outside twice and causes two game-changing fumbles.

Joey Porter is one of my favorite linebackers ever to play for the Steelers.  He was no James Harrison.  Harrison is actually entering Greg Lloyd territory.

What set Greg Lloyd apart in my mind was that he had a superhuman ability to take a game over by himself in critical situations by sheer force of will.  Joey Porter did not have this gift.  James Harrison does, and it's a beautiful thing.

Adding to the lore is the fact that Harrison hurt himself at the end of the 1st half and was a little gimpy with a hyper extended back when he unleashed havoc after halftime.

Harrison personifies toughness - opposing quarterbacks aren't just worried that he'll sack them, they're worried that Silverback will snap their arm off and eat it.  Tony Romo and the gimpy pinky.  Yum.

Ryan Clark

The guy doesn't have a spleen or a gall bladder, and plays like he wants all opposing receivers to join him in the Missing Organ Club. 

Clark absolutely destroyed little Wes Welker, and from that point on no receiver for the Patriots showed even a passing interest in catching the ball.  And it's not like this was Clark's first big hit this year - he pummeled Matt Jones, Braylon Edwards and T.J. Houshmanzadeh earlier in the season. 

Having Clark back there delivering justice has such an effect on today's typical receiver - when Randy Moss dropped that easy pass in the open field, I think it's because he thought William Gay's #22 was really Clark's #25.

Clark is the perfect Steelers' free safety - a smart headhunter with the toughness to fill against the run.  It's been a big year from a guy whose career was somewhat in doubt after last season.

The Steelers can simply out-tough a lot of teams they're likey to meet in the playoffs, and that's a great thing.  It's a reputation that lives on weeks after the fines are levied and the "dirty" accusations are made.  The Steelers aren't a dirty team - they just play hard, which used to be a virtue.  Let the other teams worry about that crazy old team from Western Pennsylvania that hasn't gotten the memo about the new, corporate NFL.  The Steelers should be focused on maintaining their intensity and nothing else.

Kudos to Mike Tomlin for continuing the legacy of hard-nosed football in Pittsburgh. 



THE SPURIOUS FIVE

1.  New York Giants

Are their Super Bowl hopes shot without Plaxico?  I think so.  They haven't shown the ability to run against good defenses, and I'm not sure that Steve Smith and Domenick Hixon are threatening enough to back defenses off the line of scrimmage.

2.  Tennessee Titans

The Titans play the Colts at Indianapolis on the last week of the season.  Something tells me that the #1 seed in the AFC will be at stake in that game.

3.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers

They forced Drew Brees into mistakes and effectively ended the Saints' playoff hopes.  They're getting just enough offensively to win, but they've got a tough game on the road against the Panthers next week.

4.  Carolina Panthers

Despite giving up a ton of yards to the Packers, the Panthers did what they needed to do against a desperate team on the road.  Jonathan Stewart had a Leon Lett moment after a 43 yard run, but all his premature celebration did was give DeAngelo Williams a chance at the team touchdown record for one game.


5.  Dallas Cowboys

Deion says so.



WEEKLY AWARDS

OFFENSE

Justin Hartwig

Pressure up the middle killed the Steelers last year versus the Patriots, with Vince Wilfork posting 7 tackles and a sack against Seanwise Mahan.  What a difference a year makes.  Justin Hartwig made Wilford a non-factor, and he even was left one on one with Wilfork a few times, holding his own.


DEFENSE

James Harrison

What more can this guy do?  He's posting one of the great individual defensive seasons of all time while still playing special teams.  If he keeps this up, the only guy left to compare him to will be Bobby "The Waterboy" Boucher.


SPECIAL TEAMS

Keyaron Fox

After taking a bad penalty on the opening kickoff, Keyaron Fox made up for it by recovering a Matt Slater fumble in the 2nd half.  It was a game-changing play.


GOAT

Randy Moss

Big Softee didn't want any part of the Pittsburgh Steelers, quitting on plays and dropping two huge passes simply due to fear.  The Steelers have three receivers who have each had problems with dropped balls this season.  Not once were any of those drops the result of Ward, Holmes or Washington wilting under the weight of imminent contact.



QUOTABLE

"I know there are some great players in this league, but find me someone else who does it with his consistency. Find me someone else who does it week in and week out the way he does it."

- Aaron Smith

Smith stumps for James Harrison, who gets to make his Defensive Player of the Year case against the Cowboys next week with his top competition on the other sideline.  Harrison needs to give Max Starks some "incentive" to keep Demarcus Ware off the stat sheet.


STATS, STAT

Interceptions by cornerbacks this year - 3.  Interceptions by linebackers this year - 3.  The Steelers could start getting more big plays from their corners.  Ike Taylor's hands are a big part of it, but it goes deeper.  William Gay has great ball skills that he hasn't shown yet, Deshea Townsend has been in and out and the team is missing Bryant McFadden's knack for picks.



MAKING THE ROUNDS

1.  Beating the Pats is big for us fans, but hopefully the team has moved on.  There's plenty of work left to be done.  Let's all keep in mind that the Steelers lost 3 of 4 down the stretch last year.

2.  Lawrence Timmons has a tremendous knack for making big plays.  He scored 3 touchdowns as a junior at Florida State.  However, he's a ways away from being an every down player because of struggles against the run when it comes right at him.  Keep in mind, however, that James Farrior had big troubles with the run right at him on the strong side in New York as a rookie, landing him in Bill Parcell's doghouse.  Timmons is a young, high effort player who is valuable enough as a defensive x-factor for now.

3.  Mitch Berger didn't have a great game, but his 39 yard average was such an improvement over Paul Ernster that Berger is now officially the city of Pittsburgh's favorite import from Kamloops, British Columbia, surpassing Mark Recchi.

4.  After the Violence Summit, when the league met with the Steelers after Troy Polamalu called the NFL a "pansy league," the Steelers have been penalized 40 times for 367 yards.  In that time span, their opponents have been penalized 26 times for 259 yards.  The Steelers have committed plenty of dumb penalties, but that's still a pretty big disparity.

5.  Let's talk about the Casey Hampton sack.  It happened for one of three reasons: 

- It happened to be one of the rare plays where Hampton plays 1 gap
- Hampton ignored his responsibility because he was mad
- Dick Lebeau saw that Hampton was mad and made a call that fit the moment, eschewing 2 gap and letting Hampton get upfield

I'm guessing that the third one is correct.


AROUND THE LEAGUE


6.  Every year, a team on the brink turns it on late and makes the playoffs.  My guess?  The Miami Dolphins.  They've got games at Buffalo, against San Francisco and at Kansas City.  If they can win those three games, the finale against New York would be for the division championship, even if New York were to run the table to that point as well.

7.  Why are the Patriots no longer the Patriots?  Well, they've had three bad drafts in a row, that's why.  Laurence Maroney is always hurt, Brandon Merriwether isn't special and isn't disciplined and Chad Jackson busted.  Jerod Mayo doesn't appear to be an impact player like one would expect at #10 overall.  Beyond those top of the draft struggles, only six players are left on the team from among the 21 players they've taken from the 3rd round on.  And of those six, four of them are rookies who aren't contributing and the other two guys are backup tight end Dave Thomas and kicker Stephen Gostkowski.

8.  Cincinnati and Detroit looked like two teams trying hard to earn the #1 pick in the draft this past weekend.  Neither team showed much interest, and it was obvious.  It's actually hard to believe that the Bengals haven't had the first pick since they won the "lottery" in back to back years, 1994 and 1995.

9.  Can anyone explain to me why Peyton Manning is a superstar valiantly playing hurt behind a patchwork line while Ben Roethlisberger is a game manager who makes mistakes when he has to carry the load by himself?  CBS was on hair-trigger yesterday to get that 9 picks in 6 games stat on the screen.  If Ben had limped his team to a 4 point win over the Browns while throwing two picks, he would have been trampled by the media stampede.  Dan Dierdorf was awful yesterday.  He was outwardly distraught when the game changed in the Steelers' favor.

10.  Very quietly, the Ravens only have 26 sacks as a team this year.  Terrell Suggs only has 5.5.  The Ravens aren't a great defense.  They simply stop the run and play sound pass defense against bad teams.  They'll actually be tested against Washington next week.



IN THE CROSSHAIRS

Flozell Adams and Mark Columbo.

The Cowboys have allowed a respectable 18 sacks this season, but 10 of those have been charged to their starting tackles.  Flozell Adams will have problems with James Harrison's speed and quickness, while Mark Columbo should be abused by Aaron Smith on running downs and by LaMarr Woodley on passing downs.

But it's not just the Steelers' record-setting outside linebackers that should worry Adams and Columbo.  It's the fans.  Adams is deaf in his right ear and sometimes has a problem with crowd noise.  Columbo is the NFL's king of false starts, with 16 over the past two seasons.

This was a popular ticket.  For those who are going to be in attendance - be loud and make us proud.