Before you call up my psychiatrist and request that he place me on Prozac, Valium, and/or Ritalin, hear me out.
The Depths of Confusion
Maybe it's just me, but as I watched Jamal Lewis and
Chester Taylor run through the Steelers defense on the
Ravens' opening touchdown drive, the same question
kept repeating itself in my head, "Why are the
Steelers not putting eight men in the box?"
In fact, why would the Steelers play in the nickel or dime defenses during this game at all...ever?
Maybe it's just me, but the Ravens only had three healthy wide-receivers on their roster, one of which was Deion Sanders. In other words, the Ravens were NOT going to beat the Steelers throwing the ball. So, putting more than three defensive backs in coverage was a waste.
Yet, on the opening drive, Polamalu was playing back in coverage. And, the Steelers did indeed implement the nickel defense on that drive. The result: touchdown Ravens...and a headache for yours truly.
They Heard My Pleas
Just as I was beginning to lose my voice from
screaming at the television, the Steelers actually put
eight men in the box, with Troy Polamalu lined up as a
fifth linebacker.
Maybe it's just me, but Troy is a superb run-stuffer. His talent for finding the ball-carrier, which was only slightly displayed yesterday, is amazing. The phrase "tip of the iceberg" comes to mind.
Anxiety Ensues
Maybe it's just me, but I have been a big supporter of
starting Maddox while having Ben Roethlisberger learn from the
sidelines (a la Chad Pennington). So, when Maddox's arm
was turned into a lava lamp, thus ensuring that the
rookie was going to play against the nasty Ravens
defense, my immediate response was...well, fear.
And, it did not take long for my fears to become realized. Ben's second pass attempt was intercepted.
A New Hope
While there is not really much good that can be said
about an interception, I liked what I saw during the play from
Ben. To fully understand, let me recap the play:
Roethlisberger had Hines Ward open between a cornerback and a safety. The pass rush was in Ben's face, and like any rookie, he did not step into the throw. Instead, he relied solely on his arm strength, and the pass fell short of its intended target. Simultaneously, the pass-rusher hit Ben square in the mouth (which the pass-rusher would have done anyway, even if Ben had stepped into the throw).
Maybe it's just me, but something in the way he got up after the play told me that he understood the following: he was going to get hit whether or not he stepped into the throw. The difference was that if Ben had stepped into his throw, Hines would have had a first down.
After that play, Roethlisberger never seemed not to get rattled by anything that the Ravens threw at him. The Ravens are a great defense, and he took his lumps, but he never really looked flustered or scared. That was a trial by fire, and he handled it well.
Roethlisberger will make some "dumb-rookie" mistakes, but yesterday sold me on the fact that he can indeed handle the starting duties right now.
Delusions Abound
Maybe its just me, but what if the offense becomes
extra focused, because they know that they have a
rookie quarterback? Suppose the O-line decides, "We
can't let even one of those defenders in here."
Imagine if Plax actually tries his hardest on every
play, because he knows that the rookie will need
everybody's "A" game. In short, what if everybody
gives 110% (like Hines already does), because they
know that they have to make up for the rookie's
mistakes?
It sounds counter-intuitive, but suppose that the rookie quarterback actually makes this team better.
Maybe it's just me. Or, are you feeling the same way? Or, do we both need heavier doses of Prozac, Valium, and/or Ritalin?