Furthermore, just one season ago, I remember Baltimore's defense knocking the snot out of Ben Roethlisberger. Whereas, on Monday night, Big Ben avoided Baltimore's rush, bought time, and completed five touchdown passes in the first half. In other words, when Ben is not recovering from two concussions and an appendectomy, the Ravens defense does not look quite as good.
I know, I know: the Ravens defense was placed behind the proverbial eight-ball (by their offense). But, at the same time, if the Ravens defense is as good as they say they are, they should have been able to hold the Steelers to field goals on at least one of those drives.
Ray Lewis also stated that in the second half, the Steelers were only able to score three points. Again, while what Ray Lewis said is true, his team did not score at all...which means that his team still would have lost (three to zero). By the way, Mr. Lewis, unlike the Patriots, the Steelers did not feel the need to tack on needless points to their score....as was displayed by Cedrick Wilson and Nate Washington playing a majority of the second half. In other words, Pittsburgh took their foot of the proverbial gas.
Simply, Ray Lewis came across sounding childish; he took no responsibility for his team's loss. I only have one thing to say: pointing fingers never helps...a lesson most of us learned in (ahem) the third grade.
On the complete other side of the linebacker spectrum, there is James Harrison. Harrison was not a first round selection; he was a rookie free-agent from Kent State. In other words, he had to earn his way onto the Steelers starting roster. And, on Sunday night, he put forth one of, if the not the greatest, performances by a defensive player in the history of the Nation Football League. Harrison made ten tackles, recorded three and a half sacks, forced two fumbles, recovered another fumble, and intercepted a pass. Again, those are not Harrison's statistics from an entire season: that is what he did in ONE game. Furthermore, he did so with nary a chest-thump nor forearm swipe to be seen.
It seemed as if the ghosts of Steelers past had somehow crept into his body. That would make sense, considering that many of those ghosts were indeed present on Monday night: Joe Greene and the rest of Pittsburgh's "All-Time Roster" attended the game. Seeing all that talent that the Steelers had on their roster in the 1970s, it makes one wonder how Chuck Noll is not considered the best coach in the history of football. My only guess is that Noll is not pompous enough.
Speaking of arrogance, the only thing that Ray Lewis said that I could agree with is the fact that Willie Parker and Najeh Davenport could not run against Baltimore's defense. The optimist would point to the fact that the Steelers were merely taking advantage of the weakened secondary of the Ravens. The pessimist (and/or a Ravens linebacker) would believe that the Steelers have lost the ability to run the ball effectively. The pragmatist (me) feels that the Steelers took what was given to them (Baltimore's starting cornerbacks were injured)...but, at the same time, feels that the Steelers should have done a more effective job of running the ball.
Also, Ben Roethlisberger not playing much in the second half, might have had something to do with the lack in production. Speaking of which, Ben played longer into the second half than I would have liked. In fact, it looked as though he played one series too many...because Terrell Suggs knocked Ben out of the game with an injured knee...and ankle...and hip...and thigh. Then, just as everyone in Pittsburgh was holding their collective breath, Ben marched back onto the field. At first Steelers fans sighed with relief...then, cringed when they realized he was back in the game. Two plays later, Ben was taken back out of the game.
Many fans might have been wondering why Mike Tomlin would put Ben back in, and risk seriously injuring his already hobbled quarterback. When asked, Tomlin essentially said he played Ben in order to eliminate any of the speculation during the upcoming week about whether or not his quarterback would play against the Browns. In as word: genius. Instead of answering questions about his leg, Ben could focus on beating Cleveland.
In short, this victory does not really say much about the Steelers and their place in the league. True, they thumped the Ravens, but Baltimore was without their two starting cornerbacks. Furthermore, Steve McNair was a turnover machine. And, as I already mentioned, I feel that the Steelers should have run the ball better. That said, the Ravens were indeed 13-3 last season, and the Steelers walloped them...no matter how Ray Lewis tries to spin it.
