I can kind of laugh about it today. Kind of. We were Tebowed.
If it weren’t my team I would have been screaming for Tebow all night, but it was my team.
If it weren’t my team, it would have been the most exciting football game of wildcard weekend, but it was my team.
Gotta admit, it is a little disappointing today. Although now we can all somewhat relax – the injury hemorrhaging is over. Everyone can heal. There’s no way with the number of injuries that we could have made it to the Super Bowl, not through New England and not through Baltimore. It’s over. Everyone can heal.
This post may not be popular, but I am going to speak my mind. It’s my site afterall. I can do what I want. First, let’s be realistic and honest about the secondary. We need to draft a CB. We just do. Ike, love you, you had a crappy game last night – we both know that – but you played well all season, for the most part. Will Gay on the other hand. Look, a few good plays this year, sure. Some when they were needed, absolutely. But one things for sure, if both of y’all don’t learn to turn and look for the ball, that PI call will just continue. The reason that you aren’t known for interceptions is because you don’t know where the ball is half the time to get the pick. Yeah, Ike, you are fast, you can cover man to man. Your brother on the other side cannot. We need to draft a CB. Not a free agent. Draft.
(By the way Ike, I still love you, but it’s clear how much Ryan helps you out and makes you look good. Take him out to dinner, he deserves it.)
Is there anyone still standing from the front 3? Keisel, Hampton both suffered injuries last night. Both of those injuries were deadly. A dagger through the heart when they had to come out. Big Snack now has a torn ACL and Keisel with a significant groin injury. As Ed Bouchette (Post-Gazette) tweeted during the game, we were down to our last healthy defensive players, and they were in the game. Not sustainable. Not with tough teams ahead. Again, I am relieved the hemorrhaging has ended. I know that’s not a popular comment. But it’s true. For me anyway.
Max Starks also suffered an injury last night and tore his ACL. Ben’s ankle was hit and I’ll bet he had a tough time walking around today. In fact, I would bet money he had a big shot of something strong at half time because that second half he was a whole lot more mobile. It’s about as painful to watch as it is probably painful for Ben to play. I’d rather have a healthy QB then try to limp through the post-season with what we’ve witnessed the last month. It’s not pretty, it’s not Ben. He can’t do what makes him great and we can’t win without him doing what makes him great. And honestly, I was tired of holding my breath every time he dropped back…or in this case, every time the ball was snapped and he had no where to go. Not to mention, Denver was getting in his face with a 3-man rush, I can’t even begin to imagine what Suggs and the Ravens would do to that kind of offensive line. Would you have been able to bear watching it?
On both defense and offense, I think there’s an opportunity to grab some free agents when the time comes. We’re not all old and slow as Warren Sapp wants everyone to believe, but we’ve got to get the young guys up to speed. Ziggy is in year 3 I believe and he’s definitely seen a lot of playing time this year. He’s not bad at all and he’s come a long way in learning a complex defense. As an example of how young that line was last night, Ziggy is the one with the most experience. Ziggy. Yes, Ziggy. McClendon is in his second year and Cam Heyward is a rookie. Nowhere to go but up. Timmons, Harrison, Woodley, Farrior – all stayed healthy last night, amazingly. Woodley’s injury I think was still a problem because he wasn’t getting to Tebow at all like we thought he would. None of them were actually. Either Denver’s O-line was underestimated, the holds on Harrison were a problem, or they just didn’t have the fire we thought they would.
Speaking of fire. It’s of my opinion, having been to Denver many times, that the team landing Saturday late afternoon was not a good team decision. I just don’t think that’s enough time to acclimate. You could see them breathing heavy after every major run. I didn’t see anyone getting oxygen either, though I may have just missed that part. I think it was a bad decision to get there on Saturday period. I would have had them there Friday morning, and practicing somewhere, even if it was just running and playing light, just to get acclimated. That’s me. Clearly I don’t get paid big dollars to coach a team. Or for that matter, pay hotel and flight costs. Regardless, not a good decision.
Let’s talk Tomlin. I see some of you calling for his head out there on the interwebs. While I think the Saturday decision was dumb, I still think we have a great coach on our hands. Some of you said he’s still floating on Cowher’s team. Come on now, that’s ridiculous. Young money – all Mike. Did Cowher draft Mike Wallace? Are you disappointed in AB? What about Sanders? yes, that’s what I thought. Tomlin is a great coach. let him do it. Do I agree with all the playcalls? Nope. Sure don’t. Monday morning QB is easy. Anyone can do that. We do it every day. We’re doing it right now in fact. Aren’t you reading my blog? yes, you are, and I thank you for that.
One thing I am tired of hearing – Hines has been demoted. He’s being forced out. Then they show sad pictures of him like this one. Or highlights of him sitting on the sideline. Let’s be honest here. He’s still a good WR. The last few weeks haven’t been good football for anyone, except maybe AB. He also was hurt, he didn’t get demoted, he got injured. When the Steelers run a 3 set, he’s in it. Get over yourselves and recognize that with on-demand 24/7 news, the media want to be the first to break a story – they are hedging so that if by chance he happened to retire after the game last night that whoever said it first could claim the break. I will say this, Hines is savvy enough that he will make sure it’s out on his twitter and FB page at the very same time he releases it publicly. He wants to be the one who tells Steeler Nation what’s up and in that fashion, today he said he wants to win another Super Bowl and goshdarnit, he deserves to do that. And when the Steelers win the next one, hopefully he will smile and retire and come on over the sideline to do what he does now – mentor and coach the young guys. Stop trying to make it seem like he’s being pushed out. His role for the last few years has been as a mentor anyway. Let Hines be Hines. Thank you.
Oh and stop saying how Mendy shouldn’t start and iRed should. Redman started because Mendy was out, yes, but they are completely different kinds of backs. One thing that the Steelers do and it drives me crazy is run an RB literally into the ground. Mendy is for one type of play and Redman is for another. They don’t really take the place of the other. MeMo is much more a backup to Mendenhall although some of the plays we through him into this year made no sense at all – they were better designed for someone big like Redman or even Clay (who is huge, by the way). So stop it. They both are good and they both have roles on our offense. Depending on the playcall, which depends on the defense and the down and the distance etc etc etc, both of them could be effective. Absolutely. And they will be. And yes, I still <3 Redman, and that love affair started pre-season circa 2009.
I am ready for the next chapter of Steeler football. Next year is a whole new ball game.
Am I disappointed, yup, but you know what, this is why we play the games. If we were to go on who is crowned king of the hill in August, we;d all be sporting Eagles jerseys right now but you saw how that worked out for them. Only thing I am hoping for is that the Pats and the Ravens get Tebowed along the way too. That would make this the most exciting, no one saw it coming post-season of them all. In fact, Giants and Denver would be the Super Bowl no one predicted. But in all honesty, I am bracing myself the hype that might accompany a Harbaugh Brothers Bowl. I’m not sure I could survive that one. But more than anything, seriously, just don’t let Tom Brady get another ring.
Yes, I am a Brady Hater and I am proud of it. Call me silly. I don’t like the Ravens, but if you asked me to choose one between Ravens and Pats, I have to go with the Ravens. Have to.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
steelergurl: I completely agree with the decision to go to Denver on Saturday being questionable. I would need time to acclimate to the altitude also, and I know that those big bodies needed it too! I am also amazed that we made it that far with the injury-riddled team that played on Sunday. Now there are more to heal in the off season. Eighty-six does deserve another ring (as does the rest of the team). Next year, Guys! Another Steeler Girl in NC
Great article, great points. Tomlin screwed up royally from SF through Sunday, but I love him and he’ll be around. Just has to be a little more of a coach and less of a pal. Players didn’t like Chuck Noll or Herb Brooks, but they went through walls for them.
I’m also pulling for Denver, Houston and the Giants over the others.
Keep up the great column.
I agree with everything, as usual. Let’s heal the wounded and get ready for next season. And oh yeah, hating the Brady all the way!
I am with yon the Brady thing..Lived in New England the past 17 yrs..Born on Erie,PA living in Chi Town now..hate them Pats!! YUK!!
Agree 100% on your blog..get our boys healthy to get Hines that last ring..or is it his Next ring??
Great Break Down . . . just one question??? Aside from all the obvious injuries and lack of experienced talent. . . What about Arians & Lebeau’s leadership this year??? They seemed to lack preparedness and creativity! Think we need to “draft” a whole new look next year on both offensive play calling and defensive schemes! Just sayin!
While I think you have some good points, I also think you are way off base. You are absolutely right about healing the wounded and the road to the Super Bowl would have been virtually impossible with all the injuries. I am very proud to be a Steeler fan. I have been a Steeler fan for at least 35 years. With that being said I would like to quote a saying I have found to be so true in all aspects of life. “If you do the same thing everyday you will have the same thing at the end of the day. The Steelers have been doing the same thing for two seasons and we have the same thing at the end of two seasons. Yes they made the playoffs both years. Yes they made the Super Bowl last year. They had to win to get to the post season both years. That is all well and good but in the end the last game of each season they fell short. It is like the Patriots going undefeated and then losing in the Super Bowl. I guarantee you if you asked any Patriot what they thought about that season the Super Bowl loss would come up first. Please don’t get me wrong the Steelers are in my opinion in the top five teams in the NFL. The Steelers as a whole have more talent than any team in the NFL. If Ben had an offensive line like Tom Brady he would be throwing for as much yardage. He probably wouldn’t have a high ankle sprain either. You are right about Mendy and Isaac being two different backs. With the current make up of the offense I will take Isaac over Mendy every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Isaac is built more like Jerome and we all know what Jerome accomplished. The reason being that the kind of run game the Steelers have Isaac can gain more yards. Nothing against Mendy but if the hole isn’t there he is pretty much done. Mendy needs a fullback blocking for him. The ultimate backfield would be Isaac at fullback and Mendy at halfback. What it all boils down to is both years is the Steelers have been out thought. I bring your attention the New England game of this season. We saw a Steeler team in that game with their act together. That was probably one of the best coached games the Steelers have had since Mr. Tomlin took over. Why did they not use the same game plan in the second Ravens game and the 49ers game? We would have thumped those teams with that attack. Where was the blitz in the Denver game? I mean really everyone knew a Tebow under pressure is a Tebow that is not affective. The Steelers were being beat one on one so why not send more guys at Tebow? Least ways maybe the pressure on Tebow might have canceled out the accurate passes he threw that he had all day to throw. Where were the quick slant passes on offense? Three guys were beating five guys. The three guys being Denver’s defense. Ben was hurt so quick slants over the middle would have been something. Ben needed plays to get rid of the ball quick. Denver diagnosed the bubble screen so why throw it the third time? That was a fumble, it was a backwards pass and the whistle saved them. Heath caught six passes in the first quarter. He hardly was thrown anything after that. Why? The two plays that worked the best were only seen twice. The end around netted a touchdown by Mr. Wallace and a huge gain by Mr. Brown on the other one. Those two plays worked twice. The bubble screen that failed twice was ran a third time and failed. Yes I know the current administration drafted Wallace, Brown and Sanders. They did a good job. Why are they not doing the same thing on other parts of the team? I could go on and on. The point is the game plan must be more flexible. The last thing is that the things I have said here do not make me a bad Steeler fan. These are grown men making a lot of money to do something they love. The fact that they are getting some criticism should not be treated like a treasonous traitor Steeler fan. The Steelers should be able to handle criticism as long as it is not rude or derogatory. I hope in this I have not come off this way. Thank you Steelergurl for allowing me to express my opinion. I hope you will not feel angry towards me.
Not angry at all. I think we all question the playcalling at times. You are absolutely right that the Pats game this year was excellent. I think part of the problem with this Broncos game was that they were trying to get to Tebow and couldn’t for whatever reason – and yes, holding Harrison IS one of those reasons. That was one major issue, then we had too many of our defense up trying to get to the pocket which left the receivers, who are average at best, one on one with our secondary. We lost. We couldn’t keep them covered.
You are absolutely right that Isaac is more like the Bus, that’s my whole point in saying they are different kinds of backs and use them as appropriate versus run one into the ground all the time. Truth is, sometimes there are holes (sometimes used loosely) that the OL creates and I think Mendy is faster, but Isaac has some speed to. I just hope that we don’t expect either to be an every down back because I just don’t think that’s effective versus knowing the team you are playing, knowing how their defense is and analyzing based on need and using the plays that make sense and the personnel that can pull them off.
Your points are well taken. Thanks!
I agree that playcalling is definitely an issue. At least for me. Sometimes it’s brilliant and sometimes its absolutely boring.
I hope Hines gets one more ring as a Steeler. Hopefully his offering up of the old paycut will make it so!
I am almost pulling for Tebows across the board. Unfortunately, I think our worst nightmare may occur….Ravens. Oh well…
Can’t disagree with anything you said about the game ,but I will add that its time to completely revamp the offensive line with exception to Pouncey (although he needs to stay healthy in the playoffs and keep his inmmature mouth shut when hasn’t done squat in the last two rounds of payoffs). I know Ben loves his O-line but that and a few more sacks are going to end his career sooner rather than later. I still can’t fathom to this day why the Steelers refuse to recognize that their franchise quarterback could do so much more if he had a quality line. People would be comparing Brady, Manning, Brees and Rivers to Ben if the guy had a decent line. I know Ben is responsible for some of his sacks, but he should not be on the run practically every single down. Starks, love ya but not the answer, either is Eason, Colon, Essex etc. I”ll give Gilbert and Legursky another year but not impressed. We don’t just need big bodies, we need big, fast and strong bodies. Muscle not blubber. Come on Mr. Rooney and Coach Tomlin spend some money and get Ben help. It’s sickening to watch him be battered week after week. Yes, we had more than our share of injuries but even without, this line is weak at best. So now its time to heal and deal. I hope all players make complete and speedy recoveries and I hope that the Steelers will open their pockets and get a new line, help in the secondary , keep Hines Ward and make it known to all players that the off season is time to rest and heal not to get big, fat and completely out of shape. I would love to see this team put together a solid season, with both offense, defense, special teams and coaching all on the same page. Now its time for me to complete my healing, major surgery before the end of the season was not the smartest move, but I’ll get there, just like I know my Steelers will to. God Bless All and is there anyway that both the Pats and Broncos could lose?