Monday Evening Quarterback - Week Three

Dear Mike,

Your task is one of the most difficult in all of sports.

Repeating.

In the last 20 years, only 9 coaches in the four major professional sports have accomplished the task.

Chuck Daley
Phil Jackson (3 three-peats)
Scotty Bowman
Cito Gaston
Joe Torre (three-peat)
Bill Walsh
Jimmy Johnson
Mike Shanahan
Bill Belichick

That's a pretty exclusive club filled with exceptional coaches who were lucky enough to have exceptional players on their rosters.

So, how do you earn a spot at the table, Mike?

Stay the course? 

Blow things up?

Whip out the pads on Wednesday?

There's no fast and simple answer.  Your team hasn't had a full-on wake up call yet.  They've simply been beat twice in close games, the types of games that your team was able to win last year.  There has been no Philadelphia of 2008, no New England in 2007.  There hasn't been a Jacksonville of 2006, the shutout that started that season's free-fall.

And maybe that's the problem.

Maybe in your mind, it's more like last year than you're willing to admit.

After winning the Super Bowl, you authored this quote:

“The thing that I’ll sell to our football team is that we’re not attempting to repeat,” said Tomlin, who at 36 became the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl. “That special group of men, that’s gone forever. There will be a new 53 men.”

But Mike, you are attempting to repeat.  Teams are going to come at you even harder this season because they want to keep you from repeating.  They want to make sure they don't see their bitter rival on the podium again this year.

Your team is not 53 new guys, it's essentially the same group as last year.  Your team showed heart and overcame obstacles to win a championship, and they're supposed to just start anew?  I know it's just rhetoric, but if it's a whole new team, a whole new year, how can you build on what your team did last year?  I'm not talking about winning the Super Bowl, I'm talking about the strides your team made in all areas.  Why throw away last year when it could be such a great tool this year?

I would have trumpeted the championship and the idea of repeating all offseason, instead of diminishing it.  I would have delved as deeply as possible into the minds of the coaches listed above to highlight the challenges.  I would have read their books, watched their coaching videos and called them up if at all possible.

Upon breaking every huddle in mini-camp, training camp, preseason and these first 3 games, there would have been one mantra - REPEAT!

But here's the truly troublesome issue - you have not forgotten about last year, not in the least.

You're still coaching like it's the stretch drive of 2008.

You're coaching like you have an all-world defense (even without your best defensive player) and an unreliable offense.  The organizational philosophy last year was to limit offensive mistakes and give the defense the chance to keep it close so Ben could pull the game out in the 4th quarter.

That was a great philosophy.  For last year.

This year, the defense has clearly taken a step back, while Ben has shown great command of the offense excluding a bout of inaccuracy in the middle of the Bears game.

It's time to let Ben take more chances.  It's great that Ben has learned to take care of the football over the past year, it's a lesson that will serve him well for the remainder of his career.  But you no longer have a defense that only needs 20 points to win games, and the answer to that "problem" is allowing Ben to take a few more chances, especially when the team has a lead.

Last week in your press conference, you stated that you admired the New England Patriots' offense and wanted to emulate them, and that's great.  You have the quarterback and the variety of offensive weapons to do it, and an offensive coordinator skilled in constructing high powered passing games.

What's missing is the team-wide mindset that anything less than a touchdown on each drive is unacceptable, be it in the 1st quarter with the game tied or the 4th quarter with an 11 point lead.  The New England Patriots at their offensive peak never saw a 4th and 1 they wouldn't go for. You need to emulate that mind set to get teams on their heels and have a truly dynamic offense.

With Ben at liberty to toss the ball around the stadium, it's very possible that he will make more mistakes.  But he's got a fine record as far as being able to make up for mistakes over the course of a game.

When you rely on your defense to get a critical stop late, you don't leave your team any room to make up for the defense failing.

You said during your post-game press conference that you're "not concerned with being able to put teams away early."  Why not?  You should try aiming for a blowout every once in a while.  You might just get it, and you just might like it.

You had a mantra, that style points don't matter and that all it takes is one more point than the other team at the end of the game. 

It's time to change the blueprint - it's time to start blowing teams out, and that starts with a new mission statement from up top.

Sincerely,

- Hardnosed

FURIOUS FIVE

1.  New England Patriots

They didn't look good until Michael Turner fumbled away the Falcons' chance at a lead.  Brady threw a fit on the sideline, but there's no video evidence after Brady had his bodyguards open fire on the cameraman.

2  Baltimore Ravens

They dominated two quarterbacks who were both considered great by Browns fans for a few months in 2007.

3. New York Giants

I feel bad for Byron Leftwich.  He's the captain of a sinking ship, a totally listless, weapon-less offense that gained a total of 86 yards yesterday.  Ahmad Bradshaw is the truth.  Like a Chris Johnson that breaks tackles.

4. New York Jets

Why aren't we hearing that Mark Sanchez arrived in the perfect situation, with a defense and running game ready to complement his skills?  Sanchez has thrown for 163 and 171 yards the past two weeks.  Where's the game manager label?

5.  Dallas Cowboys

Tonight is the new, official inauguration of the new stadium.  At least that's what Jerry says.  It's simply wrong that a national audience has to hear ESPN faun over the Jerry Dome a week after having to sit through NBC's dedication ceremony last Sunday.

AWARDS

OFFENSE

Willie Parker

Even though the running game sputtered late, Parker finished with 129 yards of total offense and was looking spry and feisty.

DEFENSE

Ike Taylor

He shut down Ochocinco like #85 was a GM dealership, same as always.  He can hang his head high for making plays during the Bengals' winning drive.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Stefan Logan

It wasn't just a 56 yard kick return, it was a 56 yard kickoff return immediately after a pick six.  He stole momentum back from the Bengals until Limas Sweed allowed it to slip through his hands.

GOAT

Limas Sweed

They got you into the flow of things with a 5 yard pass in the 2nd quarter.  Then they ran the play, the "TD" play they had worked on all week that was going to get you wide open in the end zone.  Then you dropped the ball.  The 4th wide receiver is going to be open all day long, every single week.  You have to make that catch.

QUOTABLE

“The key word for the last two games is ‘finish.’ We score touchdowns, make plays; it’s not even a ballgame. I don’t even think we punted in the first half. We only came out of it with 13 points. We gotta find ways to put up seven (points) rather than threes (field goals). That’s how you finish teams off.”

- Hines Ward

STATS, STAT

Willie Parker has rushed for 354 yards on 76 carries (4.65 YPC) in four career games against the San Diego Chargers, scoring 5 rushing touchdowns in the process.

MAKING THE ROUNDS

1.  Not only has Lamarr Woodley disappeared as a pass rusher, he's disappeared from the score sheet altogether.  Through three games, Woodley has two solo tackles and one assist.  Yesterday, starting RT Anthony Collins left the game for a long stretch, and Woodley couldn't even beat retread journeyman Dennis Roland.  Woodley is a guy whose sacks have come in bunches.  Last year, he had 8.5 sacks during a 6 game stretch, with 3 in the other 10 regular season games (including none for four weeks).  He then exploded with 6 sacks in 3 playoff games.  The Steelers need Woodley to become a consistent factor, especially with James Harrison getting extra attention on the other side.

2.  So much for Spaeth's preseason progress in the running game.  Yesterday, he was physically abused by Chinedum Ndukwe, a safety that Spaeth outweighs by 50 pounds.  So much hinges upon David Johnson's health status after leaving the game yesterday with an injury.  The added ability to move from 2nd TE to FB via pre-snap motion would give the Steelers the ability to be more multi-faceted in the run game.

3.  Speaking of which, was there anything more annoying than Phil Simms continuously calling out "unbalanced line!" every time Ramon Foster came in as the 3rd TE?  An unbalanced line moves the LT to the right side or vice versa, leaving only the opposite G on the weak side of the line.  Thus the term "unbalanced."

4.  It was a tough day for Santonio Holmes, again, but Mike Wallace did a lot to help pick up the slack.  We all need to hope for dry weather as we move through this season, the offense has three different guys who have shown they can stretch the field.

5.  Best news of the day from FC - the Bengals' game was the last 4:15 start of the season assuming none of the late-season games get moved via flexible scheduling.  The Steelers were 3-3 in 4:15 games last season, and 0-4 in 4:15 games in 2007.  They're 0-2 this year.  That's 3-9 for Tomlin in Sunday afternoon games.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

6.  It had to have been a Cleveland fan that invented the saying "if you've got two quarterbacks, you don't have any."  The Browns have a stunning record of having two different quarterbacks see a ton of playing time in the same year this decade.  Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn last year and likely this year.  Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson in 2006, Trent Dilfer and Charlie Frye in 2005, Jeff Garcia, Luke McCown and Kelly Holcomb in 2004, Kelly Holcomb and Tim Couch in 2003, Kelly Holcomb and Tim Couch in 2002 and Tim Couch and Doug Petersen in 2000.

7.  The Steelers (and their fans) better not overlook the Lions in a few weeks.  Stafford seems to get more comfortable on every throw, and his receivers are showing pride by making plays for him.  Kevin Smith is the best running back no one knows about (Silent Bob?), and their no-name defense plays hard and smart.

8.  Jay Cutler was very solid once again this week, throwing for 3 TD's.  The Bears are going to end up being better than people thought, and it's going to be because of Cutler.  He's showing the patience he never showed as a Bronco, content to take what he's given.

9.  Speaking of the Broncos, their running game is getting a lot of accolades, but Mike Nolan has done wonders with that defense.  Elvis Dumervil and Darrell Reid have 8 sacks between them already, and Nolan's patchwork 34 line has held up against the run.  D.J. Williams is a perfect fit at buck linebacker, and Andra Davis looks rejuvenated as the mack.

10. I wonder what's more painful, the Steelers having the ring in hand but struggling with a 1-2 record, or the Arizona Cardinals coming short in Tampa and then stumbling to a 1-2 start.  I'd ask a Cardinals' fan, but they only exist for 2 weeks every half-century.

IN THE CROSSHAIRS

Scott Mruczkowski

The Chargers' backup center is big and fat, not your normal pivot by any stretch of the imagination.  With teams keyed into stopping the Steelers' pass rush on the edges, Dick Lebeau needs to find more pressure up the middle.  This means you Brett Keisel, Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton, James Farrior and Lawrence Timmons.  The Steelers will have to find a way to get to Rivers.  He's too good when he's given time to throw.  It all starts with attacking the A gaps and Mruczkowski.