Monday Evening Quarterback - October 22, 2007

Use It Or Lose It

I hate it when my pessimistic hunches bear themselves out to the detriment of the Steelers. I'd prefer never to play Cassandra in forecasting impending doom. But short term and long term, my hunches about the 2007 edition of the Steelers are looking more and more prescient and it makes me sick, much like last night's game.

Short term, I was extremely uneasy about the matchup against the Broncos. My philosophy about life in general tends to be "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." The Broncos game is a perfect example.

From the way the matchup looked on paper to the scratch of Javon Walker on Friday to the scratch of Champ Bailey before the game, everything appeared to be in the Steelers' favor. And it wasn't just from my perspective - I'm sure the Steelers' players fed at the trough of great expectations as well. Surely Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes were enamored when they got wind of the fact that Bailey would be in sweats. Surely Ike Taylor breathed a sigh of relief when it was reported that Walker went ahead and had surgery.

The NFL is strange sometimes regarding injuries. We build players up so much that when one of the big ones goes down, we almost think that they'll just play 10 on 11, because there's no way to replace a fallen star. In reality, every player in the NFL belongs in the NFL, and the dropoff from star to backup is smaller than most of us really realize. Sure, Walker is a physical specimen. But the Broncos had the Original Wes Welker in Brandon Stokley ready and able to produce in Walker's stead if he wasn't paid the same respect and attention that Walker would draw. I knew that. You knew that. But did Ike Taylor? Did Dick Lebeau?

I'm usually not big on the psychological elements of football. I don't buy the motivational ploys or the mind games that some tout as major factors in wins and losses. I believe that there's a formula consisting of talent, execution and luck that governs wins and losses in the NFL.

But I'm convinced that the Steelers approached this game with the wrong attitude and little in the way of conviction. They believed they could sleepwalk through a trip to Denver and come back with a win. They were wrong. That's the short term issue. The team will learn. Tomlin will learn. Coming out flat is something that happens to every team. Coming out flat twice in 6 weeks is a sign that the players don't yet know how to sustain effort over the course of a season. Remember, the 2005 edition of the Pittsburgh Steelers was extremely inconsistent except for three beautiful games on the way to the Super Bowl.

Long term, several of my offseason personnel gripes have proved to be legitimate concerns, in the following areas:

1. Offensive Line - The O line looked average at best back in April, possibly suspect during training camp and has devolved into a real and major problem that will single-handedly derail this team if it is allowed to continue.

- Kendall Simmons needs to be benched in favor of Chris Kemoeatu. If he continues to start, it's a clear signal to the rest of the team that consistently poor play will be tolerated. Contract extension or not, he's the weak link of a weak line. The front office needs to eat some crow and be done with it. Please note that this is not a ringing endorsement of Chris Kemoeatu, his skills or his potential. He simply can't be any worse.

- Willie Colon should be benched in favor of Max Starks. He should be groomed as the swing offensive lineman for the future - he has the potential to become a game-day backup at 4 offensive line positions. It is his versatility that earned him his long look in camp - with further exposure, it's apparent that his versatility is best exploited by having him on the bench.

- Sean Mahan should have to shotgun snap from sun-up till sundown all week long. I have visions of that great clip of Jeff Hartings snapping the ball against a locker room door over and over again. Get it right, Sean.

- Alan Faneca should hurry up and get hurt so he doesn't further tarnish his reputation in league circles as he enters free agency. He's not being out-schemed or out-worked. He simply isn't as good as he used to be. He flashes like the Faneca of old, but he looks more and more like a guy with a lot of mileage on his body who is on a quick career downswing.

- Marvel Smith's replacement at left tackle should be found in the first round of the draft. Smith's contract runs through the 2008 season. Then, Smith should be offered an extention - at right tackle. Smith would be a top 3 right tackle if given the opportunity.

2. Wide Receiver - Here comes the blasphemy - Hines Ward is no longer a starting caliber wide receiver. He doesn't get open, doesn't get yards after the catch anymore and he drops an alarming number of passes. It's great that he's such a violent run blocker, and it's great that he typically has sure hands. But he's not a weapon anymore, and he's bringing down the offense by playing with injuries that render him a 4.8 wideout. The Steelers' compliment to Santonio Holmes is not yet on the roster. It would be wonderful to find a free agent wide receiver next year who could be paired with Holmes, with Ward as the #3 receiver playing exclusively from the slot.

3. Defensive Line Depth - There's no one behind Brett Keisel and Aaron Smith, and that showed last night when Smith went down. Nick Eason and Travis Kirschke are both serviceable, but keep in mind that the Super Bowl XL team brought Keisel off the bench. There's no such luxury or injection of talent available for the Steelers this year, and it's a huge problem.

4. Pass Rush - I love James Harrison. I respect Clark Haggans. Neither is a great pass rusher. What's the holdup with getting Lamarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons on the field right now? The pass rush isn't closing the deal. Anyone else think having a pair of aging outside linebackers neither of whom offered much speed to begin with might be part of the issue? Let Harrison and Haggans be effective by giving them lots of rest on obvious passing downs. This is a team that needs its first and second round draft picks to be contributors. If not, the logic of waiting a year to address the offensive line looks misguided.

I like Mike Tomlin. I think he's going to be a great Head Coach. But I wonder a little about what's guiding him right now. As a young coach with a slim resume, I'm concerned that he's coaching towards a reputation and not towards wins on the football field.

He wants to be seen as a stern, fair coach who is loyal towards experience, intelligence and effort. That's great. But a team can swing too far towards intangibles at the expense of measurables, and that's a mistake.

Don't wait until it's too late, Coach Tomlin. Use your weapons.

The Fine Five

1. New England

Again.

2. Indianapolis

Indianapolis has been impressive in their level of focus coming off the Super Bowl. They're plugging players into spots and not missing a beat, which is a testament to the "program" Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning run.

3. San Diego

I know they're 3-3. They're about to go on a tear. Chris Chambers only helps.

4. Dallas

They're still the best in the NFC, but I think the teams of the NFC East are going to pick each other off as interdivisional games pick up.

5. Jacksonville

They play Bill Cowher football, and it works. They're getting tremendous production out of their running game while having no threats at wideout and a marginal passer at quarterback. Like Cowher's teams, they'll likely beat who they're supposed to beat and make a quick exit from the playoffs.

Quotes of the Week

"He's not 'Slot Machine' while Javon is out. He's a captain, he's a leader and he's special for us."

- Brandon Marshall on Brandon Stokley

"Having a bye week kind of hurts you."

- Santonio Holmes

The Awards Section

Offensive Player of the Week

Ben Roethlisberger. Call me crazy. Ben did enough to win. He played a nearly flawless second half. He got little help from his teammates. He was betrayed by a poor offensive gameplan.

Defensive Player(s) of the Week

Anthony Smith and Lamarr Woodley. Neither started. Smith didn't play much against Denver's preferred two tight end sets and Woodley barely played. Still, Smith managed to come up with a beautiful interception and Woodley recorded a sack and a forced fumble. Hrrm. Maybe if they played more, they'd make more big plays? It's so crazy, it just might work!

Special Teams Player of the Week

Jeff Reed. After all these years of missing long field goals and kicking short on kickoffs, Reed was rewarded by being allowed to challenge Jason Elam and Tom Dempsey's record for longest field goal. He came up short of course, but whatever he did in practice to earn that kick must have been incredible. I'm guessing he juggled 3 flaming kicking tees while standing on his helmet.

Goat of the Week

Bruce "Vizzini" Arians. Here's the transcript of the meeting where Arians drew up the offensive gameplan:

Arians: "It's so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you: are you the sort of man who would put eight men in the box to sell out to stop the run? Now, a clever man would put eight men in the box, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose to pass against a stacked front. But Shanahan must have known I was not a great fool, he would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose to run the ball."

Tomlin: "You've made your decision then?"

Arians: "Not remotely!"

Stat of the Week

Troy Polamalu has no sacks, no interceptions and only 4 passes defended in the last 8 games he's appeared in.

Factoid of the Week That I Hope Interests Someone Besides Me

I have a 4th set of molars, actually a second set of wisdom teeth. It's apparently rare. My x-rays were the talk of the dentist office. I'm less excited. Double the wisdom teeth to extract. Ouch.

Ten Things I Know I Think

1. Was that the same defensive backfield that dominated the Seahawks? Not so much the players, but the scheme? What happened to more press coverage, to more two deep looks? Moving Troy around is great and all, but having Ryan Clark and Anthony Smith patrolling halves seemed to really work against the Seahawks.

2. It was nice to see Nate Washington and Cedrick Wilson make the most of their limited opportunities after they got so much playing time the last few games. I actually thought they should have went to them more often - there was no reason to force the ball against Dre Bly when other matchup advantages were available.

3. That said, seeing Willie Reid inactive was disappointing, once again in order to dress 9 linebackers. Reid offers run after the catch ability that is lacking with both Washington and Wilson.

4. Brett Keisel is a lot closer to being Jarret Johnson than he is to being Adalius Thomas. I still believe that his best use is as a pass rusher off the bench.

5. Larry Foote appeared to be less "nervous" than he was the last time he intercepted a pass in Denver. He actually made a nice return.

(Around the League)

6. The Pats gave up 28 points to the Dolphins and "Chet" Lemon. Ronnie Brown was gashing them early on. I think Indianapolis scores at will against the Pats in a couple weeks.

7. Minnesota should run the option with Tarvaris Jackson. It's not like having him pass is working, and they've got two good backs and a dominant run blocking offensive line.

8. The Steelers, no matter how much frustration they're causing right now, still have a great chance to win the AFC North, and it's because the Bengals and Ravens just aren't very good right now. However, the next three weeks will certainly feature true, tough battles against the divisional opponents.

9. Feeling bad about the last minute drive for the game winning field goal last night? It could be worse. The Eagles' complete collapse against the Brian Griese led Bears was the stuff that ends coaching regimes.

10. Kansas City is getting great play from their defense. Donnie Edwards might be the most underrated player in the game over the last 10 years. Jared Allen and Tamba Hali are providing pressure without much help. Ty Law and Patrick Surtain are playing like it's 2001. If they had half an offense and if Herm Edwards wasn't their coach, they would be trouble.

Who I Like Tonight, and I Don't Mean Jack Del Rio

Jacksonville is going to come out in attrition mode, but they'll need more than just a strong running game to beat the Colts this year. This is a big test for the Colts' Tony Ugoh - he's going into a hostile environment against a strong defensive line that will shuffle a host of players against him on the outside.