Furthermore, despite all those early stops by the Pittsburgh defense, the Steelers were not scoring when they had the ball. Willie Parker was held to 55 yards rushing, and if one takes away the first touchdown pass to Hines Ward (85 yards), Ben was limited to 131 yards passing. Even the positive plays seemed to veer awry, such as Antwaan Randle El's lateral-turned-fumble.
Speaking of that fumble, the Steelers had all the momentum, were in position to score, and then Randle El got greedy. Had the Steelers scored on that drive, I am absolutely positive that the results of the game would have been much different...and in Pittsburgh's favor. But, the fumble did indeed occur. Ergo, the words "crying" and "spilled milk" come to mind.
But, before we move on, Antwaan is allowed a certain amount of creative freedom, because his exploits generally result in big plays, big yardage, and big scores. Simply, that was not the case in this instance.
When Randle El tries one of his creative plays, and it turns out badly, Cowher simply tells Randle El: "You owe me one." What that means is that Randle El owes Cowher a game-breaking play. And, Antwaan almost always delivers. Unfortunately, this game was one of those times when Antwaan did not "repay" Cowher. In fact, I counted two other major drops, at critical times, by Randle El during this game. To say that this was not Antwaan's best game, is an understatement.
To clarify, I am not putting the blame for the loss on Randle El. In fact, I think the guy is such a great player, that I feel that the Steelers should break their "no negotiations during the season" rule for him. If you read this Dan Rooney: sign Randle El today!!! Otherwise, he will be gone...and his level of talent is not easily replaced (unless the Steelers somehow acquire the second overall pick, and draft Reggie Bush).
Anyway, Randle El owes Cowher a play...and I expect to see that play versus the Chargers. In fact, considering that the Steelers have two whole weeks to let this loss stew in their craws, I expect a few Steelers to "bring it" on Monday, October 10th: the names Polamalu and Farrior come to mind. Considering that I have tickets to that game, a motivated Steelers team should help ensure that I get my money's worth...as well as help me forget about Adam Vinatieri's 43 yard game-wining field goal. And, truthfully, a Steelers win relieves depression much better than cyanide or a noose anyway.