Category Archives: Steelers 2019 Season

Consequences: Steelers 19-14 Win Over Ravens Carries Costly Repercussions

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The Steelers-Raven game was supposed to be on Thanksgiving. COVID-19 pushed it to Sunday. And then to Tuesday. And then to Wednesday. By the time they actually played, the Baltimore Ravens had called up 11 players from their practice squad.

  • Everyone expected a JV-Varsity game.
  • Stephon Tuitt, himself out on the COVID-19 list, tweeted about padding stats.
  • We did see a JV-Varsity effort.

Except the Baltimore Ravens brought their Varsity game, while Mike Tomlin labeled the Steelers’ effort as “J.V.” As they’ve been many times this season, the Steelers were below the line in all three phases. And, just like in other outings this year, Pittsburgh prevailed 19-14 despite that.

But the critical question is, how much longer can continue to do that?

RGIII, Steelers vs Ravens 2020

RGIII is off to the races on 3rd down late in the 2nd half. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

First Quarter Foreshadows Things to Come

The Steelers and Ravens began by exchanging punts, then on the first play of Baltimore’s second possession, a failed exchange between Robert Griffen III and his running back landed on the grass with Vince Williams pouncing on it to give Pittsburgh the ball at Baltimore’s 22.

In other words, things happened exactly as they were scripted to.

Lack of practice had reduced the Ravens to struggling with fundamentals, as Pittsburgh looked poised to go up early and easily. But instead of capitalizing, the Steelers stumbled. Sure, Ben Reothlisberger and  Benny Snell had a nice 13-yard hookup that brought the ball to the Ravens 6, but the rest of the drive consisted of 1 and 2 yard runs by Snell and piecemeal catches by Eric Ebron.

  • Unable to score on 3rd down, the Steelers went for it on 4th and 1.

As he’s done too many times this season, Ben Roethlisberger threw an interception in the end zone. The Steelers squandered an opportunity to go up by an easy 7.

But that didn’t seem to matter. The script that destiny had drafted for this game continued to impose its own inertia. On the Ravens very next possession, RGIII looked to convert a very easy 3rd down to James Proche, but Joe Haden read him all the way, picking off the ball and taking it to the house.

  • What the Steelers offense couldn’t do, the defense did for it.

It took about a minute and a half longer, but the Steelers still got their early touchdown. Except the score was only 6-0 instead of 7-0 because Chis Boswell missed the extra point, foreshadowing things to come.

Ravens Force Role Reversal, Steelers Oblige

Had the Steelers offense scored its easy touchdown AND had the defense brought home its pick six, it is easy to imagine the game evolving very differently. No, John Harbaugh’s team would NOT have quit on him. But often times when inexperienced teams get behind early in big games, they start trying too hard.

  • Balls get loose.
  • Blocks get missed.
  • Easy catches bounce off hands.
  • Simple tackles slip and big gains ensue.

And that is exactly how things evolved following Chris Boswell’s missed extra point. Except the Baltimore Ravens rejected the role of method actor, opting to go improv and the Steelers willingly obliged by flipping the script.

You can pin-point the Steelers somersault with precision. With the help of a Cam Heyward sack, Pittsburgh seemed to be slamming the door on the Ravens by forcing a quick punt.

Marlon Humphery, Chase Claypool, Steelers vs Ravens

Marlon Humphery bats away touchdown pass from Chase Claypool. Photo Credit: Shawn Hubbard, Ravens.com

Unfortunately, Ray-Ray McCloud fumbled the return, giving Baltimore the ball at Pittsburgh’s 16. 6 plays later, the Ravens were up 7-6 and Steelers Nation was primed for what is perhaps the sloppiest 48 minutes of play in recent history. It was JV football at its most mediocre. Here are the low lights:

  • The Steelers had to settle for Red Zone field goals, twice
  • Eric Ebron, Diontae Johnson, James Washington and Chase Claypool all either had Red Zone drops or passes batted away
  • RGIII gored the Steelers defense with a 39 yard run on 3rd an 11
  • The Steelers failed to convert a 4th and 2
  • Minkah Fitzpatrick dropped an easy interception/pick six
  • Terrell Edmunds and Minkah Fitzpatrick missed tackles allowing Trace McSorley (who) to connect with Marquise Brown for an easy touchdown.

Yet, in spite of all that, the Steelers to eeked out a win. Let’s look at why.

JuJu and Snell Gamers to the End

Athletes who are good enough to reach the pros generally give it their all. But “gamers” are athletes who give it their all but manage to find a little something extra when the game is on the line. Franco Harris in the Immaculate Reception and James Harrison in Super Bowl XLIII are two easy examples.

  • But true gamers find ways to deliver that something extra on bread and butter plays.

To use Mike Tomlin, in his William and Mary eloquence, the Steelers had “sucked” in the Red Zone throughout the game. By the look of it, JuJu-Smith Schuster took it personally. When the Steelers reached the end zone to begin the 4th quarter, Ben Roethlisberger tagged JuJu Smith-Schuster. The stat sheet says he only went 8 yards getting stopped four yards short of the end zone.

But in truth JuJu would not be denied:

https://twitter.com/DevinBushFan/status/1334272521235992578

Anyone surprised that Ben Roethlisberger looked to JuJu Smith-Schuster 2 plays later? Anyone surprised that JuJu caught it? Neither am I.

The Steelers other “gamer” is Benny Snell Jr., who on that self-same touchdown drive, got the ball on a 3rd and 3, had ZERO room to run, reversed field and ripped off 10 yard run. Later, with the Steelers looking to kill the clock, Snell exploded for a 13 yard run, forcing the Ravens to use a precious time out, and then ended the game by converting a 3rd and 1.

Benny Snell, Steelers vs Ravens

Benny Snell delivers for Steelers in 4th quarter. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Sloppy Play Carries Consequences

With 5:31 left to play, Trace McSorley fired off a deep pass to Marquise Brown. Minkah Fitzpatrick almost intercepted it.

  • Bud Dupree had blitzed the passer, slipped and immediately began pounding the turf.

Later, we not only saw him walking with the trainers to the locker room, but he did so under his own power. Surely, this couldn’t be serious, could it? Alas, it was serious as he’d torn an ACL.

If the Steelers had made half, perhaps even a third of the plays they’d left on the field, Bud Dupree would have been out of the game, resting up for Washington. Instead, he’s out for the year.

The Steelers had slipped but recovered enough to win, but as Dupree’s injury reveals, sloppy play has its consequences.

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Cutting to Two Preseason Games, Shouldn’t Affect Steelers Roster Cuts

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It was reported last week that the NFL is considering cutting its preseason schedule from the usual four games down to two.

The reason given was so that teams could have an extra “ramp-up” period before training camp begins and finalize game-day testing protocols amid the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic that has had the sports world on hold since mid-March.

I’m not exactly sure

Matthew Thomas, Kyle Allen

Matthew Thomas strip-sacks Kyle Allen. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

what a ramp-up period actually is, as it pertains to what players and teams will be doing before they officially begin training camp, but then again, in the world we’re currently living in, why wouldn’t that be a little confusing?

  • I do know that two less games will mean two less opportunities for rookies and fringe players to make an impression and get noticed by their coaches.

Will it, though? Regardless of when training camp actually begins and where it will be conducted — the Steelers won’t be holding training camp at Saint Vincent College this year and will likely have it at Heinz Field — I’m assuming it will last as long as it always does.

If that is indeed the case, what is it Mike Tomlin has often said about training camp? He’s said that what his players show him on the practice field is equally as important as what they show him during preseason games.

Is it naive to assume a player can’t make a bigger impression with a huge splash play or three in a preseason game? Of course that’s naive, but I’ve also witnessed players tear it up during the exhibition season and still not make the team–outside linebacker Tuzar Skipper, and his multiple sacks during the 2019 preseason, comes to mind.

If push comes to shove, and there’s a close race for a roster spot at a particular position, I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if Steelers coaches err on the side of caution and familiarity and keep a more veteran player over an undrafted free agent. But I also wouldn’t be surprised if the coaching staff takes a chance on a younger player, even if there isn’t as much game tape on him as there normally would be.

Nobody has really said this, but I’m assuming that, even if the preseason schedule is cut down to two, the Steelers and Cowboys will still play in the annual Hall of Fame Game.

For those teams, the Steelers in particular since that’s who I’m focusing on, it would give them an advantage in evaluating talent and making tough decisions.

Also, considering the fact that the NFL could be going to a 17-game regular season and a three-game preseason as early as 2021, a shortened preseason will give all teams a preview of what life is going to be like every summer in the near future.

In conclusion, if coaches like Mike Tomlin are sincere when they speak of the importance of training camp, I fully expect teams like the Steelers to simply add a little more weight to the practice field this summer and a little less to preseason games.

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Myles Garrett Suspension Lifted. Assault with a Weapon Only Costs You Six Games in Goodell’s NFL

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Roger Goodell strikes again. The NFL has lifted its “indefinite” suspension of Myles Garrett, clearing the way for the defensive end from the Cleveland Browns to participate in all off season activities, and play in 2020.

When last we saw him, at the tail end of the infamous Steelers-Browns Body Bag Game, Myles Garrett was ripping off Mason Rudolph’s helmet and then bashing him in the head with it. When last we heard from Myles Garrett, he attempted to justify his attack on Mason Rudolph, charging that Rudolph had provoked him by uttering a racial epitaph.

However there is zero audio evidence to support Myles Garrett’s accusation, suggesting he was simply trying to cover up his crime.

Mason Rudolph, Myles Garrett, David DeCastro, Myles Garrett attacks Mason Rudolph helmet

Myles Garrett attacks Mason Rudolph with his helmet. Photo Credit: Jason Miller, Getty Images via Slate.com

Credit Goodell and/or the NFL’s discipline regime for understanding how to play the PR game.

They lifted Myles Garrett’s suspension less than two weeks after the Super Bowl and before the NFL combine at a time when many writers are taking off and, more importantly, when fans are highly disengaged.

  • The outrage that should follow such and injustice is largely absent.

But make no mistake about it, lifting Myles Garrett’s suspension is an injustice, and further serves to show just how arbitrary things are in Roger Goodell’s Kangaroo Count. At the end of the day “indefinite” equals 6 games for Garrett. Let’s add some context around that number.

  • In October 2018, Goodell suspended Mychal Kendricks for 8 games for insider trading
  • In June 2018, Goodell suspended Roy Miller 6 games for undisclosed reasons
  • In September 2017, Goodell suspended Josh Brown for 6 games after a domestic violence incident
  • In August 2017, Goodell suspended Ezekiel Elliott for 6 games after a domestic violence incident

A decade ago, in Pittsburgh, Goodell suspended Ben Roethlisberger for 6 games after his involvement in an incident involving a young woman in a bathroom bar in Midgeville, Georgia. The local district attorney investigated but declined to even take the case to a grand jury.

I strongly condemn domestic violence and fully agree that the league should punish these acts and further urge the women involved to press charges. Insider trading is also a crime worthy of punishment. And I’m not inclined to walk back one word of the harsh criticism leveled at Ben Roethlisberger during the Midgeville incident.

Even if Ben Roethlisberger committed no crime, he had no business doing what we know he did.

  • But how does these acts compare to what Myles Garrett did? The answer is, they don’t.

By ripping Rudolph’s helmet off and hitting him in the head with it, Myles Garrett committed assault with a deadly weapon. Had this incident occurred outside a bar in “The Flats” of Cleveland and had there been video of doing the same thing with a motorcycle helmet, and attempted murder charge would not be out of the question.

  • Fortunately, Myles Garrett committed his crime on an NFL football field governed by Roger Goodell’s warped standards of justice.

On Goodell’s football fields assault with a deadly weapon apparently only costs you 6 games.

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Chiefs Win in Super Bowl LIV = Goodbye to Another Steelers, NFL Season

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With the Chiefs 31-20 victory over the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV on Sunday night in Miami, Florida, yet another football season has come to a close.

If you’re a Steelers fan, (and let’s face it, if you’re reading this blog, you most likely are) you might have declared the 2019 season over the second they were eliminated from the playoffs following a Week 17 loss to the Ravens on December 29.

I can’t say that I blame you for that. After all, when you’re a fan of a particular team, it’s that team that you want to see do well. It’s that team that you dream about hoisting the Lombardi and hosting the parade.

Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Super Bowl LIV

Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes after Super Bowl LIV. Photo Credit: Mark Terrill, AP via Inquirer.com

Unfortunately, the moment quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending elbow injury in Week 2, even dreaming of such glorious championship scenarios seemed kind of silly.

But the Steelers hung in there, and like the great and proud organization that they are, they stayed in that championship chase — albeit with spit, wire and a couple of totally inexperienced quarterbacks in Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges — much longer than anyone thought they would.

They made us believe in and love defense again. They gave us a glimpse into what the future could be with T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Devin Bush leading the way.

However, that talk is talk for another time. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I waited for the 2019 Steelers season to start the moment Super Bowl LIII was over last February.

I talked about free-agency, the draft, OTAs and mini-camp. And when training camp finally arrived at the end of July, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. I knew it was just a matter of time before the Steelers were kicking off against the Patriots on Sunday Night Football.

Again, the 2019 season wasn’t one that you or I or any other Steelers fan would have considered ideal–far from it. But it was a season, and aren’t those always great?

Isn’t it fun to have something to look forward to? Isn’t it awesome that we can derive so much pleasure from a sport and a team that we’re not directly involved with?

  • I love the Steelers, but I also love and respect the NFL. I defend it when others try to tear it down for unnecessary reasons.

I also soak up every last ounce of the playoffs, even when the Steelers aren’t in them. I want to witness the drama and the excitement. I want to feel the good emotions as well as the bad ones that other teams and their fans experience in January and February.

  • I believe that helps me appreciate just how hard it is for teams to achieve Super Bowl success.

The Chiefs won their first Super Bowl in 50 years. Think about that for one second. That’s a long time to go in-between Lombardi trophies. The 49ers won their fifth title back in 1994, and they’re still one shy of number six, which has been the standard for excellence since the Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII 11 years ago.

The Patriots, who are deciding on whether or not they want to bring back 43-year old quarterback Tom Brady next season, might be stuck on six Super Bowl titles for the next 11, 25 or, heck, even 50 years.

  • There are no guarantees in the National Football League.

Many great men have played and coached in the NFL, and most of them will probably tell you just how hard it is to reach the Promised Land. To do it once is difficult enough. To sustain that kind of success over a period of years and sometimes even decades? That’s a whole different level.

This is why I own books about the Super Bowl. This is why I have old VHS tapes of NFL Films Super Bowl highlight shows. This is why I now often go to YouTube (I’ve graduated to streaming television) and watch whatever archived football material I can find.

A Football Life, ever see that show? And not just the ones that highlight former Steelers coaches and players. Check out the one about Bill Walsh, the late, great head coach of the 49ers, a man that in many ways was the godfather of the modern passing game. Find the one on Terrell Davis, the former Broncos running back who had his career cut short due to injury.

  • Watch America’s Game, like A Football Life, it’s an NFL Films produced show that chronicles each Super Bowl champion, starting with the 1966 Packers.

Go on Youtube and search for Missing Rings, a bit of a spin-off of the America’s Game series that chronicles some of those really great teams that could never truly get over the hump.

  • The Steelers are a fantastic team, but they’re also a part of a fantastic league.

Oh well, Super Bowl LIV is in the books. I guess the countdown to September and the 2020 season is on.

The NFL offseason is a long one, but only because the NFL regular season is worth waiting for.

 

 

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Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for 2019 Season – Better Late Than Never Edition

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Taken from the grade book of a teacher who is horrendously late in turning in his grade sheet, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the 2019 season.

T.J. Watt, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Steelers vs Dolphins MNF

T.J. Watt strip sacks Ryan Fitzpatrick. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger, PennLive

Quarterbacks
2019 cemented the Tomlin era as the Golden Age of 3rd String Steelers’ Quarterbacks as Ben Roethlisberger, Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges all started games. Ben Roethlisberger played poorly in both of his appearances. Was it elbow trouble or just early season rust? We’ll never know. Mason Rudolph made uneven progress until the Cleveland game. Devlin Hodges won his first 3 starts, but fell when the training wheels came off against the Bills. Steelers’ quarterbacks played well enough to lead the team to 8 wins, but they did not key any of those wins. Grade: C-Steelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
The Steelers planned to split carries, but few foresaw the distribution that evolved between James Conner, Benny Snell, Jaylen Samuels, Trey Edmunds AND Kerrith Whyte. While James Conner was injured, running back by committee succeeded. But Conner proved he was the cream of the group when he returned. The running backs were hardly a “strength” but they were generally good enough. Grade: C+

Tight Ends
With You Know Who out of Pittsburgh, the tight end’s role in the passing game should have grown. It did not. Maybe it wasn’t his fault, but Vance McDonald was a non-factor in the passing game. Put charitably, his effort at blocking was suspect. Nick Vannett did what was asked of him and has legitimate “upside.” Zach Gentry did well in spot duty. The Steelers needed more from their tight ends in 2019. Grade: D

Wide Receivers
Rookie Diontae Johnson led the Steelers in both targets and catches, something no one foresaw. James Washington had a solid sophomore year, translating preseason and practice flashes into the regular season. Injuries limited JuJu Smith-Schuster to 12 games making it hard to judge his performance. Johnny Holton is excellent on special teams, but adds nothing to the passing game. Deon Cain flashed. Grade: C

Offensive Line
This unit has taken a lot of heat. Some of it is justified. The Steelers have invested heavily in their offensive line, and 2019 did not deliver a good return. Early in 2019 pass blocking was solid, while run blocking lagged. Run blocking improved, but pass protection lagged as the year progressed. Craig Wolfley argues that expecting the line to carry the entire offense absent so many playmakers is unreasonable. He’s right. Still, the Steelers needed more from their offensive line in 2019 and didn’t get it. Grade: C-

Defensive Line
How good was the 2019 Steelers’ defensive line? Try so good that it could lose Stephon Tuitt, their best player 6 games in, and still see Cam Heyward play well enough to earn mention among names such as Greene, Holmes, White, Greenwood and Smith. Oh, and Javon Hargrave likely established himself as 2020’s best defensive free agent. Sure, a picky person could argue the Steelers were a little too vulnerable to the run at times. Picky is as picky does. This unit was excellent. Grade: A

Cam Heyward, Todd Gurley, Cameron Heyward, Steelers vs Rams

Cam Heyward stones Todd Gurley in the 3rd quarter of the Steelers win over the Rams. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger, PennLive

Linebackers
Under Keith Butler‘s tutelage, Bud Dupree finally played like a first round draft pick. Vince Williams continued his stout play at inside linebacker, while Devin Bush made an immediate impact. Mark Barron started slow, but he rebounded so strong that he limited Devin Bush’s snaps – although Bush still led the team in tackles.

In his third year in the league, T.J. Watt catapulted himself into the Defensive Player of the Year conversation with 14.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 8 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries and 8 defensed passes. Most importantly, T.J. Watt made those “splash plays” at critical moments in games. Grade: A

Secondary
Minkah Fitzpatrick’s arrival transformed the Steelers secondary as he made 5 interceptions in his first 6 games while returning a fumble for a touchdown. Teams stopped throwing his way. That opened the door for Joe Haden to make 5 interceptions of his own. Mike Hilton rebounded from a shaky sophomore year and again looks like another Kevin Colbert Undrafted Rookie Free Agent steal. Terrell Edmunds disappointed, failing to flash any of the playmaking ability you’d expect from first rounder. Grade: A-

Chris Boswell, Steelers vs Bengals,

Chris Boswell boots in a 29 yard field goal against the Bengals. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger

Special Teams
Chris Boswell reversed his Russian roulette routine of 2018 and returned as the Wizard of Boz in 2019. Jordan Berry started off strong only to fade, with poor punts and/or critical errors contributing to losses to the Bills and the Ravens.

While he was probably playing injured for most of the season, Ryan Switzer’s returns were mediocre, although he was sure handed. Diontae Johnson had difficulty fielding kicks early in the season, but found his legs and gave the Steelers some spark to their punt returns.

The coverage of Danny Smith’s units was spotty. They didn’t give up any touchdowns, but did give up too many “longish” returns. While they stopped one fake punt attempt, they gave up two more and badly botched one of their own. Grade: C

Coaching
Randy Fichtner is taking a lot of heat. Some is knee-jerk nonsense but critiques that his formations and play calling are too predictable have some merit.

But to draw on a chess analogy, Fichtner lost his queen on the second move of the game and had to substitute pawns for his bishop and rook for large parts of the season. Given those circumstances, fielding and offense that was just good enough to scrape up enough plays to reach 8-8 doesn’t look too bad.

  • While it happened under the radar, Keith Butler’s defense began to improve at the tail end of 2018.

Mike Tomlin, Steelers training camp, St. Vincents

Mike Tomlin addresses the men at Steelers training camp. Photo Credit: Karl Rosner, Steelers.com

But even those who witnessed the latent leap in the late season games against the Patriots and Saints, who would have predicted such a stunning turnaround in 2019? Injections of talent at cornerback, linebacker and safety fueled the lion’s share of the change, but the unit played as a much more cohesive group.

  • Finally, there’s Mike Tomlin.

The Steelers served as a punching bag throughout the 2019 off season as the national media took the side of You Know Who as well as Le’Veon Bell. The Steelers looked strong in preseason, only to fall flat in the opener, and then lose their franchise quarterback in week two. His replacement would get injured himself in week four, forcing Tomlin to turn to his 4th string quarterback.

  • The franchise could have folded at any number of points in the process.

Instead, Mike Tomlin focused his team on producing winning performances. Through it all, he never blinked. He never shied away from personnel decisions or from taking the calculated risks he is known for.

While Mike Tomlin would agree he doesn’t deserve “Coach of the Year” honors, 2019 might have been his best performance. Grade: A

Front Office
Kevin Colbert made three aggressive free agent signings, two of which bore fruit. When he shipped You Know Who off to Oakland, it looked like he got robbed. Now the Steelers look like stealers. Colbert continued by making a bold draft-day trade followed by a bolder in-season trade accompanied by another trade that addressed a critical need. Kevin Colbert then took Pittsburgh on practice squad poaching run that secured potential.

Steven Nelson, Steelers vs Bills

Steven Nelson returns an interception against the Bills. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger, PennLive.come

Along the way, the front office made upwards of 60 roster moves during the season. Like the players on the field and the coaches on the sideline, the Front Office refused to throw in the towel when things got tough. Grade: A-

Unsung Hero Award
Great players author highlight reels, generate press clippings and hear their names mentioned. But sometimes silence serves as a sign that a player is excelling at his craft. Such was the case of Steven Nelson in 2019. You didn’t hear the free agent corner’s name simply because he was shutting down his side of the field. For that, Steven Nelson wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2019 season.

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Steelers Nation Rooting Guide for “Championship Sunday” 2020: Remember the Titans

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Championship Sunday is here, and once again the Steelers are at home, watching from the couch. So what is a good citizen of Steelers Nation to do? Who should the Black and Gold faithful root for (or against?)

Truthfully, this year is tougher than it has been.

  • For the balance of the last decade the answer was easy:  Anyone who can beat New England.

But the Patriots are eliminated. So are the Ravens, taking another obvious and easy choice out of contention. So let’s look at the final four contenders.

Steelers Nation, Steelers Bars DC

Pour House, a now defunct DC Area Steelers Bar. Photo Credit: SteelersBars.com

First contender that jumps out at you is Tennessee Titans. They’re coached by former Pittsburgh Steeler defensive lineman and linebacker Mike Vrabel. They’re underdogs, and they win with the old fashioned Steelers formula of stout defense and a ball control running game.

Steelers Nation really doesn’t have much to hold against Kansas City, and heck, my old grad school roommate was a Chiefs fan. And Kansas City is where Bill Cowher matured into an NFL caliber coordinator.

  • So a Steelers fan can root for the Chiefs in good conscious, but here the Titans get the nod.

Over in the NFC you have the San Francisco 49ers and the Packers. This one is easier. The 49ers with their legacy of the finesse “West Coast Offense” are in many ways the antithesis of Steelers football. More objectively, if the 49ers win and reach the Super Bowl, they’ll have a chance to with their sixth, making Pittsburgh’s distinction a little less distinct.

  • Clearly, Steelers Nation cannot condone that happening.

And the Packers, while not the Steelers, represent the NFL’s little guy, are community owned, and well, have a hallowed history. So root for the Cheeseheads Steelers Nation.

As far as a potential Super Bowl matchup is concerned, the faithful citizen of Steelers Nation needs to root for whichever AFC team makes it. Let’s face it, fealty to the AFC doesn’t and shouldn’t run deep in the blood lines of Steelers Nation. But it counts for something, doesn’t it?

  • But the real issue at stake in the Super Bowl is defending the franchise’s legacy.

As noted above, a win by the 49ers gives them six Super Bowls. A win by the Packers would give them five, which puts them in striking distance of Pittsburgh. That’s an outcome to avoid as well.

  • So there you have it  Steelers fans.

Root for the Titans to triumph over the Chiefs. Root for the Packers to upend the 49ers, and root for the AFC in the Super Bowl.

But as you’re doing that, let’s also say a little prayer asking for a full recovery of Ben Roethlisberger and return to championship form so that this time next year, there’s no ambiguity over who to root for.

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Tre’Davious White’s Interception Ended the 2019 Steelers and Devlin Hodge’s Cinderella Season

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Duck Season was in full bloom (or whatever is supposed to happen when ducks are in season) when the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Bills for an epic Sunday Night Football Match-up at Heinz Field on December 15.

When I refer to duck, of course, I am talking about Steelers rookie quarterback Devlin Hodges, who was set to make his fourth start against Buffalo. I was tailgating with some friends that night at Heinz Field, and believe me when I tell you, people were believing in the youngster affectionately known as Duck. There were Duck hats. There were Duck t-shirts. There were Duck signs. There were those things people blow into when they want to make righteous duck sounds–including Duck, himself, when he got his nickname by winning a national duck calling contest back in 2009.

  • It was a pretty cool scene, and why not?

After all, here were the Steelers, a team that started 2019 by losing its most precious resource–quarterback Ben Roethlisberger–to a season-ending elbow injury in Week 2. The moment that news broke, nobody gave them a chance to do anything, other than lose 10-plus games. Yet, Pittsburgh entered this important Week 15 contest with an 8-5 record and the inside track on the fifth seed. Buffalo was 9-4, but if Pittsburgh won out, it would enter the playoffs as the top wildcard entrant.

Tre'Davious White, Tre'Davious White interception, Diontae Johnson, Steelers vs Bills

Tre’Davious White’s interception was the turning point of the Steelers 2019 season. Photo Credit: Joe Sargent, Getty Images via DraftKings.com

Neither team came into the night with a stellar offense–especially the Steelers, who, again, were pretty compromised due to injury.

  • As for both defenses, however? They were unquestionably the reasons for their teams’ seasons.

Experts and fans, alike, predicted the Sunday night showdown would be a defensive struggle, and the game did not disappoint in that regard.

The offensive play on both sides was pretty ugly, as the two teams spent the majority of the game exchanging punts, sacks, three and outs and turnovers.

One Steelers turnover near the end of the first half was especially damning. Shortly after cornerback Steven Nelson intercepted a pass by Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen and returned it to the Buffalo 20, Pittsburgh had a first and goal from the 10-yard line. Trailing 7-3, if the Steelers could score a touchdown on this possession, they not only would have the momentum, but they would get the football to start the second half. Unfortunately, on a first down play out of the wildcat formation, rookie receiver Diontae Johnson fumbled a bumbling hand-off from running back James Conner, and the Bills recovered.

Fortunately for the Steelers, they were able to save face by taking the second half kickoff and marching downfield for the go-ahead touchdown on an 11-yard pass from Devlin Hodges to James Conner.

  • Fast-forward to late in the third quarter. There were the Steelers with a 10-7 lead and possession of the football.

Yes, the offensive play was ugly up to that point. Yes, they squandered a huge scoring opportunity with that fumble near the end of the first half. But this was pretty much par for the course for their 2019 season. Do just enough on offense to claim the lead and allow a defense that had become quite proficient at getting after the quarterback and taking the football away to close out the game.

Not only did the Steelers have the football and a 10-7 lead near the end of the third quarter, they were putting together a pretty impressive drive that had already covered five plays and 25 yards. After a five-yard run by Conner, the Steelers had a first and 10 at the Buffalo 43. Any points on this drive would be huge, and if Pittsburgh could somehow extend its lead to double-digits, that could have been curtains for the Bills.

  • Instead of perhaps continuing to run the football, Hodges dropped back and tried to hit Johnson on an out pattern.

Unfortunately, the timing was a bit off, and Bills’ all-everything cornerback Tre’Davious White stepped in front of Johnson and intercepted Hodges’ pass at the Bills 33 before returning it all the way down to the Steelers 18. It was White’s second interception of the night and far more damaging than the first one way back in the opening quarter.

Pittsburgh’s defense held strong and limited Buffalo to three points. However, following a quick three and out by the Steelers, the Bills drove 70 yards on six plays and took the lead on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Allen to tight end Tyler Kroft midway through the fourth quarter.

  • The Steelers offense–especially Hodges–never quite recovered.

Pittsburgh had a couple of opportunities late in the game to tie the score, but Hodges was intercepted on successive drives to close out the night.

The 2019 Pittsburgh Steelers were never quite the same after that loss to the Bills, and they dropped their final two games–scoring just 10 points each time–to finish the season 8-8 and out of the playoffs.

  • It’s amazing what momentum and belief can do for a team.

Up until that fateful Sunday Night matchup at Heinz Field, the 2019 Steelers had been authoring a storybook Cinderella season much like the 1989 Steelers had done 30 autumns earlier. 

Sure, it was quite apparent that opposing defenses had figured Hodges out by the time Buffalo came to town, but one wonders if the team would have been able to do enough to sneak into the playoffs had that Bills game not gotten away at the end.

We’ll never know, of course, thanks to Tre’Davious White who made the interception that transformed the Steelers Cinderella season into a Pumpkin. 

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Steelers 2019 Season Summary: Focus on “Team” Concept Sharpens in Pittsburgh

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The emotional roller coaster ride that was the Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 season has ended, and two weeks of playoff upsets have left Steelers Nation asking “What IF” as they’ve enjoyed a second year of home couch advantage throughout the playoffs. Clearly, this was not the outcome we had hoped for.

One of the things has gotten lost in all of these Steelers 2019 postmortems is the last two season have been almost identical. Both seasons:

  • Started with a horrible “September stench,”
  • Saw midseason winning streaks that left fans feeling anything was possible
  • Ended with late season implosions that kept Pittsburgh out of the playoffs

But if deep disappointment set in immediately following both seasons, there’s a distinctly different feel to the way 2020 is beginning. To explain how and why this is possible, and the lesson it perhaps provides, perhaps its best to take a step back.

steelers 2019 season, T.J. Watt, Mason Rudolph, Maurkice Pouncey, Zach Banner

The Pittsburgh Steelers sharpened their focus on team in 2019. Photo Credit: Karl Rosner, Steelers.com

Looking Back for Roots of a Lesson to Take Forward

The 2019 endeared themselves to Steelers Nation the way few others have. The 2019 Steelers have drawn comparisons to the 1989 Steelers from both fans and authorities such as Ed Bouchette. While the 1989 Steelers are very near and dear to this site, they’re not the team that provides the lesson we’re looking for.

  • Instead, we go back to late 1994 and to the pages of the Steelers Digest.

Greg Lloyd, Greg Lloyd Steelers Career

Greg Lloyd during the Steelers 1995 playoff win over Browns. Photo Credit: Getty Images, via Zimbo.com

The NFL was different. Two years earlier the Freeman-McNeil verdict that brought free agency to the NFL, and the league was in transition. For the first time players could sign with new teams when their contracts expired, and for the first time teams could go on off season shopping sprees – if they kept themselves under the salary cap.

By November ‘94 the Steelers had clearly established themselves as the cream of the AFC. It was equally obvious that the San Francisco 49ers were the NFC’s best. The Steelers had gotten there by taking a conservative approach to free agency that focused on resigning their own players. The 49ers had taken the opposite approach, by lavishly throwing money at players.*

  • In the Steelers Digest, editor Bob Labriola noted this contrast in a late season lead article.

Labriola lauded the Steelers for taking a “team” approach to building during the salary cap era contrasting it with other teams (he never mentioned the 49er’s by name) who took a “star” approach. He went on to muse about a possible test of the two concepts in a Super Bowl match up that never materialized thanks to Alfred Pupunu.

If that sounds familiar it should. Mike Tomlin led his press conferences after wins over the Chargers and the Bengals by crediting it to “a victory for team.” And therein lies the difference between the feeling fueling this off season vs. the last year.

Why Things Feel Different This Year

Take a look at any Steelers-focused site, and stories of the last two weeks will generally fall along these lines:

  • Will Ben Roethlisberger recover and return to franchise quarterback form?
  • If he does, will that be enough to return the offense to championship form?
  • Who must the Steelers cut to reach their stated goal of keeping Bud Dupree?

My, what a difference a year and really two years make. At this point during the ’18 and ’19 off seasons the primary story lines circulating about the Steelers focused on whether:

  • Ben Roethlisberger or Antonio Brown were at fault for the late season melt down
  • Le’Veon Bell’s tardiness prior to the implosion vs the Jaguars signaled deeper discord
  • Mike Tomlin had “lost control of the locker room” following 2 seasons of “team turmoil”

As some Pittsburgh-based beat writers pointed out at the time, the whole “Team Turmoil” story line was oversold in the national media. With a little bit of distance, we can see that indeed, many although not all of those story lines were tied to a few individuals.

  • But, in many ways, attention on the field, off the field and in the Steelers salary cap focused on the stars or the “Killer Bees.”

So even if it is incorrect to say, that 2019’s lesson is that “the Steelers rediscovered the concept of ‘team,'” the focus on “team” as opposed to individual stars go much sharper for the Steelers this past season.

JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chris Lammons, Steelers vs Dolphins MNF

JuJu Smith-Schuster out duels Chris Lammons for the go ahead touchdown. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger, PennLive.com

JuJu Smith-Schuster only suited up for twelve games. James Conner only appeared in 10. Mason Rudoph assumed the starting role 6 quarters into the season. Players like Devlin Hodges, Kerrith Whyte and Deon Cain, who’d started the season on practice squads suddenly found themselves dressing or even starting in prime time games.

The departure of Antonio Brown was supposed to be enough to hamstring the Steelers offense. But by any conventional measure, losses of Roethlisberger, Conner, Smith-Schuster and Maurkice Pouncey should have doomed the Steelers. Yet, they didn’t and instead:

A 1-4 start became a 5-4 start. That 5-4 start slipped to a 5-5 start, but the Steelers rebounded from their own “Body Bag Game” to improve to 8-5. The Steelers 8th win of the season came over the Arizona Cardinals and featured another game in which Pittsburgh had found a new way to win.

  • The fact that the Cardinals game was the final win of the season for the Steelers is part of the lesson.

Football is a team game, and it is teams and not “stars” that win games. No Steelers fan will ever forget Antonio Browns “Immaculate Extension” that pulled Pittsburgh over the top in the Steelers Christmas win over the Ravens. But who remembers that Jesse James, Cobi Hamilton, Eli Rogers and Demarcus Ayers caught 5 of the 7 receptions that formed that touchdown drive?

  • But teams also need talent to win.
  • And the 2019 Steelers didn’t have much talent on the field.

Mike Tomlin, Keith Butler and Randy Fichtner deserve credit for milking as much as they possibly could out of the talent at their disposal in 2019. 2020 is a new year and the Steelers will field a new team next fall.

Benny Snell, Steelers offensive line

Bell Snell rushing through the holes opened by the Steelers offensive line. Photo Credit: Robert Gauthier

But if Mike Tomlin can succeed carrying 2019’s renewed focus on “team” and combining a few key upgrades in offensive talent then 2020 can be a big year for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

*While it was never proven, some suspected that the ’94 San Francisco 49ers were cheating on the salary cap. The 90’s ended with Carmen Policy and Dwight Clark paying million dollar fines for salary cap violations, although none were tied to the ’94 season. Nonetheless, one regular reader of this site and die-hard Cowboy fan still refers to them as “The ILLEGAL 1994 San Francisco 49ers team!”

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1 Quick Post-Season Lesson for Steelers Fans? Defense Ain’t As Sexy As We Thought

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Maybe you’re one of those Steelers/football fans that likes to say things like, “I’d much rather watch a low-scoring defensive-battle than a shootout.”

First of all, no you wouldn’t. And, second, even if you think you would, I encourage you to go back and watch some old NFL games from the early-’70s, back when bump-and-run coverage was still a thing. And I’m not talking about old highlights provided by NFL Films, complete with the iconic music as a backdrop and John Facenda’s heavenly voice doing the narration. Go back and watch some old network broadcasts on NBC, CBS or ABC–they’re usually readily available on YouTube.

  • I guarantee you, you won’t make it through one of those 13-10 snooze-fests before, well, dosing off.

Speaking of 13-10 snooze-fests, maybe that will be the title of the Steelers NFL Films-produced highlight show that’s released to the public each and every summer. It would be fitting, since most of Pittsburgh’s games ended with scores in the teens–and they were just so hard to get through.

T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree, Brian Hoyer sack, Steelers vs Colts

Bud Dupree celebrates T.J. Watt’s sack of Brian Hoyer in the 4th quarter. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune- Review

Don’t get me wrong, it was nice to see the resurgence of the Steelers defense. It was encouraging to watch the unit carry the team for most of the year, following the season-ending elbow injury suffered by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in Week 2.

And I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t have a lot of fun watching T.J. Watt wreak havoc on quarterbacks week after week, to the tune of 14.5 sacks. How about his bookend at outside linebacker, Bud Dupree, who had a career year with 11.5?

  • As a unit, Pittsburgh’s defense once again eclipsed the 50-sack mark, posting a suffocating total of 54.

How about all of those takeaways? What suddenly brought those on?

  • How did they go from a paltry 15 a year earlier, to a whopping 38 this past season?

And perhaps the most important new element to the Steelers defense in 2019: an ability to close out a game while holding a slim lead, something the unit did multiple times–including in one-score wins over the Chargers, Rams, Bengals, Browns and Cardinals, games where the opposing offenses had the football late in the fourth quarter and a chance to either win or tie.

Yes, the return to defensive dominance really was a lot of fun and helped make fans believe the impossible could happen:

  • Pittsburgh could make the playoffs with an offense that was a founding member of the “One Touchdown a Game” club.

But hindsight being 20/20, it’s easy to see now that people were just getting swept up in the fun times the defense was providing. Because “lousy” may be too kind when describing the Steelers offensive struggles in 2019.

It was painful to see. Even at their best, it was hard to watch quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges perform without cringing just a little. And at their worst? Let’s just say it’s a good thing those little “bricks” they sell down at the Strip District are made of foam and not the stuff they use for the ones that build houses.

  • The Steelers offense finished near the bottom of the NFL in just about every important statistic–including total yards and points per game.

But what could you do? Even before Roethlisberger’s injury, the other two “Killer Bees” Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell had departed. And while JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner looked more than capable of filling the voids created at both the receiver and running back position, they were either too injured or too compromised due to quarterback play to really be of much help last year.

But if we’re being honest, while JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner are fine players, the odds of them ever reaching the levels of both Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell were fairly long to begin with, Big Ben or no Big Ben.

It’s quite popular in this day and age of social media for fans to demand their favorite teams clean house and get rid of the divas and the troublemakers. Such was the case in recent years when it came to Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell and even Ben due to his advancing age.

  • But be careful what you wish for.

I went to a Penguins game recently and, in addition to the absence of center Sidney Crosby (long-term injury) and winger Phil Kessel (traded this past offseason), the team was missing center Evgeni Malkin due to an illness.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the game went into overtime tied at zero. The Penguins won, but it was quite obvious that they were a different team while missing so much fire power on offense.

Maybe the Penguins are a bad example, considering they’ve managed to remain in playoff contention despite the loss of so much offense. But I wonder what their 2019/2020 campaign would look right now if Malkin were out with some sort of long-term ailment. Instead, he’s carried the team on his back and is playing some of the best hockey of his life. It helps that he’s one of the best hockey players in the entire world.

Imagine if, along with Kessel, Malkin was traded away–something many fans have called for in recent years?

  • It’s easy to talk about getting rid of a bunch of players. It’s quite another to replace them.

Not only did the Steelers offense lose All Pros, they spent a good bit of 2019 dealing with the absences of the Pro Bowlers who were entrusted with replacing those All Pros.

Obviously, the best teams don’t just dominate on one side of the ball, they find success through balance. But if I had my choice, I think I’d much rather have a potent offense and a struggling defense than the other way around.

  • You can always out-score your opponents, but it’s just so hard to totally shut them down.

That’s what Pittsburgh’s defense was tasked with in 2019, and while it held up better than most units would have, it couldn’t perform miracles.

Finally, the Steelers may have helped you fall in-love with defense again in 2019. But I hope they also forced you to appreciate the importance of a really good offense.

 

 

 

 

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Steelers Report Card for Season Ending Loss to Ravens

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Taken from the grade book of a teacher who can’t help but be disappointed over how his class performed on their final exams, here is the Steelers Report Card for the season-ending loss to the Ravens.

Benny Snell, Steelers vs Ravens

Benny Snell’s rushing was one of the true bright spots for the Steelers against the Ravens. Photo Credit: Nick Wass, AP via PennLive.com

Quarterback
On the plus side, for the first time in 2 games, Devlin Hodges didn’t throw any interception. However, his fumble inside of the two minute warning of the first half was just as bad. Overall, Hodges was 9 of 25 on the day. And while he did suffer some drops, this type of quarterbacking play doesn’t even qualify as “game management.” Grade: DSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Benny Snell was the lone bright spot for the Steelers, churning out 91 yards on 18 carries while scorning the Steelers only touchdown. Kerrith Whyte had 3 carries for 1 yard while Jaylen Samuels had 1 catch for 16 yards. Grade: B

Tight Ends
Vance McDonald caught both passes for that were thrown his way including a 12 yarder that converted a third down. Run blocking was solid, which the tight ends contributed to. Grade: C+

Wide Receivers
Diontae Johnson led the group with 4 catches for 54 yards. James Washington, who has been solid all season, had zero catches on 3 targets some of which were catchable balls. No other wide out got a target. Grade: D

Offensive Line
Devlin Hodges was sacked twice and hit 6 times although he was under pressure for much of the afternoon. Run blocking was solid. The offensive line didn’t appear to be a liability against the Ravens, but it certainly wasn’t a strength. Grade: C

Defensive Line
Javon Hargrave, in what will likely be his final game as a Steeler, led the line with 5 passes. Cam Heyward was next with a sack, a batted pass and 2 quarterback hits. Tyson Alualu had four tackles. Gus Edwards ran the ball pretty well, as did RGIII. This isn’t all on the line, but run stopping starts with them. Grade: C

Linebackers
Devin Bush led the team with 12 tackles, Vince Williams was the next best linebacker with 7, followed by T.J. Watt who had 5, a half sack and a batted pass and 2 QB hits. More importantly, T.J. Watt also forced a fumble which could have been a real difference maker. Bud Dupree had a sack and two QB hits. Linebacking was solid, but the Ravens rushing attack was strong. Grade: B-

Secondary
RGIII completed 11 of 21 passes, or just barely above 50%, and the Ravens were 7 of 16 on third downs. Steven Nelson batted away two passes, Joe Haden batted away another while ending the game with an interception. Mike Hilton had a half sack, shared another tackle behind the line of scrimmage and added another QB hit. Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds looked strong in run support. Grade: B-

T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree, RGIII, Steelers vs Ravens

T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree bring down RGIII. Photo Credit: Karl Rosner, Steelers.com

Special Teams
On the plus side, Diontae Johnson logged two solid punt returns….

  • But Jordan Berry’s fumble was awful, and exactly the type of a mistake that the Steelers could not afford.

Sure, the Steelers chances of scoring 9 points in those last 4 minutes were slim, but that doesn’t change the fact that the touchdown killed chances of a comeback.

Kerrith Whyte also muffed the kick return on the following play, which set up a safety. Oh, and the Steelers gave up a fake punt. Grade: D

Coaching
There’s really not a lot to say.

On offense the Steelers game plan seemed to be to try to grind it out on the ground and only pass when necessary. The Steelers executed the first part of that reasonably well, the second part not so much.

  • On defense, the fact that the Ravens backups rushed the ball so well so well is indeed alarming.

But while the Steelers run defense certainly made any fantasy football owner who started Gus Edwards happy, the fact is that the Ravens never once went the length of the field and all of their non-turnover aided scores were field goals.

While Keith Butler’s boys will not and should be let off the hook for giving up an easy touchdown after Hodges fumble return, overall the defense played well enough to win.

It would be easy to come down on Mike Tomlin for ending the season with 3 losses, the third of which looked worst of all. But even the best head coach can only outwit of the law of averages for so long. Grade: C

Unsung Hero Award
Conditions were awful and his opportunities were limited. But Chris Boswell went out and made both of his kicks and he did in workman like fashion, as he has done all season long, and for that he is win the Unsung Hero Award for 2019’s season-ending loss to the Ravens in Baltimore.

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