Monday Evening Quarterback - October 8, 2007

A Big Bye Week

It's a question that doesn't need to be answered right now, but it's hard not to ask it: how good is this team?

Count me among the doubters this past Sunday. Between the stunning loss at Arizona the week before and a list of walking wounded so long and star-studded that it looked like the injury report for the Pro Bowl, I had little confidence that the Steelers could defeat a Seattle team that had been playing well offensively and had a hunger to get a little revenge for Super Bowl XL.

I'm glad that I was very, very wrong. This team is very good, and it has room to get even better.

Head Coach Mike Tomlin deserves a ton of credit for staying the same in public, but I have to imagine that his approach in practice last week was slightly different than it was after opening the season with three lopsided victories.

Tomlin had a fine line to tread. He needed to critique and instill discipline after a huge loss, but at the same time he needed to engender confidence in some backup players whom he would need against Seattle.

The first temptation would have been to lay into guys like Nate Washington and Cedrick Wilson for their disappearing acts in the desert, but what would a further beat down do for their confidence against Seattle?

I'm not a fly on the wall at the practice facility. Maybe Tomlin did nothing. Maybe Tomlin said nothing. Maybe last week was the same as every other work week. I have no way to know.

What I do know is that Washington and Wilson came out and gave better effort, made plays and helped the Steelers win a huge game. I use the wide receivers as but one example - the whole team rebounded in a disciplined manner to destroy the Seahawks, from the defense to Ben Roethlisberger to Bruce Arians.

It was a difficult task for a veteran coach, but for a rookie coach to get the results his team delivered on Sunday is nothing short of amazing considering all the obstacles in way.

There will be more obstacles to come, the first one being the bye week, as strange as it seems.

Two weeks off can be a great thing - the team gets to rest, injured players have a chance to get healthy and the team gets to prepare extensively for a big game at Denver.

But a bye week can also be dangerous. A team that's playing well can become complacent, and that's not something Coach Tomlin can allow to happen, as there is still a lot of room for improvement.

The offensive line continues to be a sore spot. They were better against Seattle, but the breakdowns are there and they are twofold: individual players get beat, and the line as a whole doesn't communicate and operate as well as it should as a group.

The first half of that gripe isn't likely to change, despite my pleadings in prior articles. Kendall Simmons and Willie Colon are entrenched, much to my chagrin, though they both lose battles too often.

I could accept their shortcomings a little more if the entire OL improves their execution as a group (gripe #2), which is something that is correctable.

If the offensive line can reduce the number of mental errors, missed assignments and penalties they commit, it could be a very solid group that can take this team a long way.

If they continue to make mistakes, the offense is going to have big problems with the Baltimore Raven and New England Patriots down the road.

Speaking of the Patriots, they're the perfect blueprint for how the Steelers' line could evolve if they respond to the challenge of continuing to become more cohesive. Outside of Logan Mankins, there isn't a dominating offensive lineman in the bunch. But they play smart, they help each other, they protect each other and together they pave the way for big-time offensive production.

In addition to the offensive line, Roethlisberger needs additional work with ALL of his wide receivers during this two week break.

It's the perfect time (with Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes unlikely to begin practicing until sometime next week) for Ben to get a ton of reps with Washington, Wilson and Willie Reid.

There will come a time when their contributions will go a long way towards helping this team win despite their depth chart stature, and that time could come in Denver right after the bye.

The Broncos will likely try to take Ward and Holmes out of the game with their fine corners, Champ Bailey and Dre Bly. It's not out of the realm of possibility that the Steelers' will need to exploit matchups with their backup receivers to open up the passing game. It starts this week in practice. Just because Washington and Wilson's stint as starters is about to come to an end, it's no reason to allow them to fade away as afterthoughts. If anything, it should allow them to make the most of their reduce opportunities moving forward.

Finally, the special teams unit need to hunker down and get it together during this time off. They've been better as a group than last year, but they still teeter on the precipice of failure, and are far from being a weapon. The coverage teams cannot be allowed to backslide, and both the kickoff and punt return teams need to move beyond simply catching the ball.

Mike Tomlin has his work cut out for him as his team enters the heart of the schedule. I'm confident that these next two weeks will be used to make a very good team even better.

The Fine Five

1. New England

Finally, this team is about to be tested. In the next four weeks, the Pats travel to Dallas and Indianapolis and host Washington, with an exhibition against Miami from the NAIA for good measure.

2. Indianapolis

Raise your hand if you've got Kenton Keith on your fantasy team. The Colts get a bye at the right time, too, with Marvin Harrison and Joseph Addai likely to return after the break for a big Monday nighter in Jacksonville

3. Dallas

Dallas is going to get some pretty good players on the field sooner than later: Terry Glenn, Anthony Henry and Tank Johnson.

4. Pittsburgh

Back after a one-week hiatus. I was tempted to leave them off again, because I'm very superstitious, but the writing is on the wall - this is easily a top five team in the NFL.

5. Green Bay

Too many turnovers in a debacle of a game against the Bears. Most disturbing is that they made Brian Griese look like Bob.

Quote of the Week

"I always wondered what is the best defense that could face us and it is a good offense. I think that we had one drive in the third quarter. I remember stretching a lot and remembering I never stretch this much."

- Shaun Alexander

The Awards Section

Offensive Player of the Week

Ben Roethlisberger. He willed that team to win in the second half, and the whole team took their cues from him. I was almost happy to see him visibly frustrated by his receivers and his line in the first half. It's been rare that Ben has held his teammates accountable for their play. I wonder how far his show of emotions went to change the way his teammates were playing.

Defensive Player of the Week

Ike Taylor. Forget the two drops; Ike was a stud all game long. Is this the statement game Ike needed to rise to the upper echelon of CB's?

Special Teams Player of the Week

Daniel Sepulveda. He had 6 punts for an average of 40.3 yards with 3 punts inside the 20, but he made a huge play early by getting a punt off in the face of a big Seattle rush. A blocked punt there would have changed the complexion of the game.

Ocean Mammal of the Week

Mike Holmgren. I blame Holmgren for one thing: trying to run the West Coast offense with a one-handed running back, and not going to Maurice Morris a little more simply for his ability in the passing game. The first adjustment Holmgren should have made was throwing more balls to his backs, which he couldn't do with Mr. Soft Cast in the backfield. The one ball they threw to Morris was almost a big gainer down the sideline.

Stat of the Week

Willie Parker leads the NFL in rushing attempts 121. He's on pace for 387 carries, which is 50 more carries than he had last year. However, Parker had 5 games with less than 15 carries last year. It's not so much that they're leaning on Parker more, it's that the run game is working and they're not having to abandon it.

Factoid of the Week That I Hope Interests Someone Besides Me

Anyone who has young children and an expanded television package has to be aware of Sprout TV and their "Good Night Show," a hash of cartoons from the PBS and Nickelodeon family designed for pre-schoolers, supposedly designed as a go-to-sleep show.

The show runs until 3am.

Who are these children who scheme and run wild until 3am? Or are there large groups of college kids who like to watch Clifford and the Dragon Tales?

Ten Things I Know I Think

1. It's hard to gripe after a 21-0 win, but why in the world are the Steelers dressing 9 linebackers on game day? 20% of their active list is linebackers? That's crazy to me, especially when there are other positions that could use the depth, especially wide receiver and defensive line.

I would have probably cut Andre Frazier and given Walter Young a call the moment I knew Hines Ward was going to miss a game, and not because I think the world of Walter Young.

The obvious choice would be to bring up Dallas Baker from the practice squad, but then you risk exposing him to waivers if the wideouts get healthy and a need arises at another position.

2. Najeh Davenport is making a huge impact by entering the game in situations where the defense is gassed. He's also flying under the radar and getting the ball in the perfect situations for him to have success. He’s extremely effective at breaking tackles against defensive backs, but it's not his size that gets it done - he's got great balance.

3. The fullback situation is a matter of trying to fit a player into a role that exists only in the imagination.

While I fully agree with the Arians preference for a versatile fullback that can run, catch and block on the edges, Carey Davis is not that guy. I was a proponent of signing Justin Griffith in the off-season, who was and is a guy who fits the role Arians desires. He would have been a bargain for the 3yr/3.8 million dollar contract he signed with the Raiders. As it is, Dan Kreider is clearly the best option at fullback.

4. It looks like the cupcake schedule we all thought was going to end after the bye week still has legs, well into December. From here to the Patriots, the Steelers' opponents are a combined 9-20.

5. From a standpoint of pure enjoyment and entertainment, who's the one injured guy you missed the most out there against Seattle? For me, it was Santonio Holmes.

(Around the League) 6. The whole NFL stinks except for 4 or 5 teams. I mean, there's just bad football being played every Sunday by almost all the teams out there. It's exciting football if you like close games that are made close by poor play, but injuries and ineptitude are turning this into one ugly season.

7. I wish the Steelers tight ends would start blocking like Kyle Brady. He's the biggest off-season addition for the Patriots. I'm exaggerating, but they're putting up huge rushing numbers with Sammy Morris, and Brady is the key.

8. Joey Harrington and David Carr just needed changes of scenery to change their stars and succeed in the NFL. Yeah, right. What an awful top 5 picks from that 2002 Draft: Carr, Julius Peppers, Harrington, Mike Williams and Quentin Jammer. Williams is out of the league, Carr and Harrington will be soon, Jammer has never had success and Peppers isn't the King Kong in shoulder pads he was supposed to be.

9. I know why LaDainian Tomlinson hasn't been himself this season - it's really not him. With the new facemask he's sporting, I'm convinced it's really Lando Calrissian in disguise:

10. I've heard a lot of different "schools" listed by players during primetime game introductions. High Schools. Juco's. Pop Warner teams. But Green Bay safety Atari Bigby dished out a new one last night: "Atari Bigby, Amsterdam Admirals."

What I Like Tonight, and I Do Mean Being in Bed Early

Field goals from Lucy Draper early on will keep it close, and Manumana will buy Paul Blake enough time at the end to give Head Coach Ed "Straight Arrow" Gennero (no relation to Holly Gennaro) and the Texas State University Fightin' Armadillos a huge win.

Seriously, this has the makings of a pretty boring Monday nighter, with half of Buffalo's squad hurt. If Necessary Roughness is on, it will probably showcase better football.

(Program Note:  Monday Evening Quarterback also has his bye week next week, and he's going to get away from football (yeah, right) for the weekend.  See you on October 22nd.)