In case you missed the inner-state rivalry between the Steelers and the Eagles, I can sum up the game in three words: sack by Philadelphia!!! Goodness gracious, Philadelphia dropped Pittsburgh's quarterbacks nine times, and beat them up on every single offensive snap of the ball. In a word, it was abysmal...and there is plenty enough blame to go around.
First of all, at times, Ben Roethlisberger holds onto the ball for far too long. I understand that he wants (and tries) to make something out of nothing on busted plays, but he has to learn to throw the ball away. It is simple math: when one throws the ball away, ones loses a down; when you get sacked, ones loses that same down PLUS one loses yardage. Again, Ben, please throw the ball away.
That said, if it had truly only been about Ben holding onto the ball for too long, then when Byron Leftwich entered the game (when Ben bruised his hand), then Byron's results should have been different than Ben's. But, they were not. The pressure from the Philadelphia defense affected his play: of his eight attempts, Byron was sacked once, hit in the neck once, and threw three incomplete passes. In other words, different quarterback, same result.
Speaking of quarterbacks being harassed, I have to defend Ben on the safety. And, Yes, it was a safety: his knee was down. People have been saying that Ben should have thrown the ball away the very second that he saw any pressure in the end-zone. I retort by pointing out the fact that just one week prior, Ben hit Hines Ward for a thirty-one yard strike...from out of the end-zone. One can not, and should not, applaud Ben for doing something one week, and then bash him for doing the very same thing the following week. Furthermore, if Ben had indeed completed his pass to the intended receiver (Mewelde Moore), Mewelde would have gotten the first down...and about twenty more yards, to boot. In other words, Ben was a deflected pass (& a knee) away from once again looking like a hero.
Speaking of heroes, Andre Smith (of Arkansas) and Michael Oher (of Mississippi) are top among my list for next April. [Note: please excuse this ham-handed segue into discussing the offensive line.] Chris Kemoeatu & company are receiving the majority of the blame for the aforementioned sacks, and rightly so. Because, as much as I can tell Big Ben to throw the ball away, there were times when Ben had barely received the snap, before he was being hit by an Eagles defender. Sure, there were indeed instances when Pittsburgh's offensive line held their own. But, because Ben had been so badly beaten, battered, and bruised, he had developed happy feet, resulting in throws that were off-target.
Speaking of errant throws, Ben's wide-outs did nothing to help the situation: Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward each dropped a key reception at a critical time in the game. Similarly, Nate Washington seemed to misjudge his jump on a deep pass (which was, in turn, intercepted by the Eagles). Ben would be the first to admit that those throws were "less than stellar"...but, when one's quarterback is being punched ad nauseam, one HAS to make the extra effort to ensure that those types of receptions are made. Of course, Heath Miller caught everything that was thrown his direction. Alas, the number of times that Heath was targeted was minimal.
Last, but furthest from least, is the coaching staff of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bruce Arians and Mike Tomlin appeared to make absolutely no adjustments to the blocking schemes, nor did they alter the plays which they were running. In fact, at one point in the second quarter, they had called twice as many passing plays as they had called running plays. I know, I know...Willie Parker was having a difficult time running the ball (thirteen carries for twenty yards). That said, one of the things that can slow down a small but fast defense (like Philadelphia's) is running the ball...over & over. It may not affect the small but fast defenders in the first half, but over time and accrued hits, those small but fast defenders start to wear down. Conversely, the thing that small but fast defenses do very well is rush the passer. In other words, Pittsburgh's game-plan played right into the strength of Philadelphia's defense.
Speaking of defense, people keep raving about how Pittsburgh held Philadelphia's high-powered offense to one touchdown. To which I say: hold the applause. At one point, Donovan McNabb hit fifteen of sixteen passes. Let me put it this way: the level to which Philadelphia's pass rush was stellar, is the equal but opposite level of how poorly Pittsburgh's defense got after the quarterback. Except for the 2007 draft class, no one was able to create any pressure on McNabb: LaMarr Woodley, atoning for several missed tackles, crushed McNabb, and his draft-mate, Lawrence Timmons, followed suit. Thankfully, the Steelers were able to intercept two passes (Polamalu, McFadden) and recover a fumble (McFadden). Otherwise, as ugly as the game was, it could have been much, much uglier...Clint Howard ugly.
In summation, the Steelers faithful can put away their nooses, razor-blades, and cyanide pills, because if history has shown us anything, it is that the Steelers can, and will, bounce back (e.g. the 2005 Super Bowl season). In other words, if one looks at this as a "wake-up call" for the Steelers, then it was best to have occurred early in the season. The coaches will make adjustments. The players will play harder. And, the fans will...well...they will criticize every move that each of the aforementioned groups makes.
