"Fast Willie Parker is worthless. The Steelers need to trade for Chester Taylor."
"That was the worst loss that I have seen in years."
"How can the Steelers be serious contenders if they can't beat the Jets?"
"There is NO WAY that the Steelers stand a chance against the Patriots."
"The streak (of not allowing a 100 yard rusher) is over."
I could literally go on for an hour, transcribing comments similar to these...but, I think that you get the point. Of course, there were a few e-mail, with legitimate gripes and/or concerns, but I chose to discuss the aforementioned comments, because they stood out as being overly pessimistic, myopic, and unfounded.
First of all, Willie Parker is not worthless. In fact, before last week's game, Willie needed about 130 yards to move into seventh place on the team's all-time rushing list, as well as reach 1,000 yards rushing for the third straight season. And, in case anyone missed, Willie still has six more games to play this season. Of course, on a day where Willie only gained 52 yards against one of the worst run defenses in the league, fans are bound to look for a scapegoat.
That said, the reason that Chester Taylor has had such a good several weeks, is because he is running behind Bryant McKinney and Steve Hutchinson. In other words, if one wants to point fingers, I suggest that they focus their ire on Pittsburgh's O-line. Then again, the Steelers are second in the league in rushing yards...so, they must be doing something right. To clarify, I would absolutely love for the O-line to play at a higher level, far more consistently...because, as it is now, they seem to have one great play, two good plays, and then a horrific play or two.
Similarly, the pass-protection has to improve. Ben will never last a full season, running away from three (or five) defenders. Furthermore, when Ben scrambles around, his receivers have to start making catches. I know that some of Ben's throws are not perfect, but considering the duress Ben has been under and/or the effort he has made to pass the ball anywhere close to his receivers, his teammates need make a little more effort to latch onto the ball.
Secondly, as far as calling this the "worst" loss in years, I would have to strongly disagree. Just one year ago, I remember a loss against the Raiders, where Oakland intercepted Big Ben at will and scored a few touchdowns on defense (while doing nothing on offense). Now, THAT was a horrible loss: it still makes me cringe.
Regardless, the New York Jets are not as bad as their record (1-8) would indicate. They very easily could have come into Sunday's game with a record of 6-3. For example, five of their losses came when they had the lead...and then ended up losing the game. In other words, the Jets have been very competitive this season...but, also extremely unlucky. For once, things bounced their way; in turn, the Jets were able to hang on and win. It is really as simple as that.
Speaking of the AFC East, Eric Mangini is a disciple of Bill Belichick. Thus, Mangini created a great game-plan for defending the Steelers: put eight men in the box (to rush the passer and/or run blitz), cut off Roethlisberger from scrambling to the outside, and cover everything deep. It worked to perfection. And, Bruce Ariens did everything in his power to help Mangini. In other words, the underneath routes were open much of the day...yet, the two things that the Jets were defending (the run and the deep pass) seemed to be the ONLY types of plays that Bruce Ariens felt compelled to call on Sunday. In other words, if one or two of Pittsburgh's receivers had run a curl route (or a button-hook...or even simply went across the middle) they would have been open. In other words, even if Ben had been rushed from the pocket, there would have been someone open (who was not 30 yards down field). You can bet your bottom dollar that Belichick will use this exact same defense against the Steelers. Thankfully, the Steelers already saw it...and have a few weeks to prepare for it.
The bright spot for the Steelers on Sunday was the defense. I know, I know: Thomas Jones rushed for 117 yards...and there were more missed tackles than tackles made. Yet, when New York had the ball inside the 5 yard line, Jones could not score; Pittsburgh's defense tightened up and forced a field goal. Furthermore, if not for two big plays (flea flicker on the first play of the game, and a pass-interference call on Ike Taylor), the Jets had trouble moving the ball through the air. Similarly, there were two other plays made (or not made) by the secondary, that could have greatly changed the course of the game: two dropped interceptions by Deshea Townsend. The first interception would have eliminated a field goal. The second interception, would have given the Steelers the ball in New York territory...in overtime. In other words, as "bad" as this game appeared to be, if any one of those aforementioned plays had turned out differently, the Steelers would have won this game. In short, the breaks all went New York's way.
In summary, the Steelers might have dropped in the "power-rankings." But, polls and opinions have never won an NFL championship. Similarly, I remember (in the 1990s) a 3-13 Washington team beating the Super Bowl champion Dallas team...twice. In other words, as much hype as this loss has gotten from the media and from fans alike, there was not a single championship handed out on Sunday. While the Steelers lost a winnable game, it is far better to lose now than to lose in the playoffs. I am confident that Mike Tomlin and his Steelers will learn from their mistakes...and come out stronger because of it.
