So, where are we now? Let's see, Steeler Nation is bitching about a promising season gone wrong, the Pens hopefuls are hailing the surge of a team cresting behind their franchise forward and an overachieving journeyman goalie, and the Pirate faithful are, well, quietly optimistic about this year's bobbleheads. Yep, sounds like 2001...or is it 1998? Maybe just 12 months ago.
I guess the most commonly hashed topic in Steeltown sports these days is the sudden ending to the Steelers 2007 season. Lets keep faith and chime in with our opinions.
2007 Pittsburgh Steelers - team opens with new life as the Mike Tomlin era begins. Big Ben is out to show the haters that: (1) 2006 was an anomaly, (2) that he is, in fact, no longer suffering from brain trauma related to vehicular accidents, and (3) that the offense will do just fine with the Whiz off in Arizona. Questions surround James Harrison's ability to replace veteran assassin Joey Porter, Bruce Arians' "expect a reduced role from Danny Kreider" concept is unveiled, Colbert shocks the world by trading up to draft a punter, and the perennial "Alan Faneca's pissed off about something thing" remains a constant...
END RESULT - despite surging out of the gate to records of 3-0, 7-2, and 9-3, the Men of Steel fade in the end and finish 10-6. They lose several close games to inferior teams, and lose a few core players to the IR down the stretch. They win the AFC North (barely), but make a painful early exit out of the playoffs at the hands of their new kryptonite, the Jax Jags.
Before we all cast ourselves off the Clemente Bridge, let's look at 2007 objectively, and hone in on the goods and the bads.
WHAT WENT RIGHT:
-Tomlin was a good pick. Ok, so he's not fire, spittle, and man-on-man kisses. So he doesn't charge after hapless refs and shove pictures into their pockets. So he doesn't say "special" in every other sentence. He did manage to get his team right back into the playoffs, create a climate for his franchise QB to blossom, and allow his team leaders to be leaders. Reality is that this team was only a few plays away from winning 12 or 13 games, and one first down away from the second round of the AFC Playoffs. He'll take the bumps and bruises and learn from 2007.
-Big Ben returns to form...and then some. Large Benjamin uncorked a statistically awesome season, with a 104.1 rating, and shattered mostly all single season team passing records. Only Shady Brady, during his hall of fame season, produced better numbers. The naysayers can say what they want about Ben's inflated rating due to 'eating' the ball and taking sacks. The fact that he produced a 104 rating with a somewhat shallow and often injured corps of wide outs, a ho hum offensive line, while playing in no less than five games of adverse weather should tell you that this guy is for real. Time for Mr. Rooney to write that check with lots of zeroes and a few commas.
-Santonio Holmes' development. Ok, so maybe he ain't Torry Holt yet, as I predicted, but Santo H really blossomed down the stretch this year. His big plays against Baltimore and Jax jettisoned two near comebacks. Hate hearing that word "near"???
-I Like Ike. Who was everyone's favorite goat in 2006. Ok, next to the bitch that wanted Ben's face as a hood ornament...Ike Taylor was under constant scrutiny in '06, but he completely rebounded in '07. The Steeler corners were the pleasant surprise of the season.
WHAT WENT WRONG:
-The Sean Mahan Experiment. 1000 great bloggers have already crucified Mahan, please record me as 1001. The Rooneys don't often dabble in free agency, but when they do, they usually find the right fit for the need. (Farrior, Batch, Hartings). This one was a major step backwards. Mahan single handedly undid what 35 years of excellent Steeler centers achieved before him. Ok, yeah, that's over the top, but this guy stunk royally. Mahan was consistently undersized, outworked, and over matched, and by Week 10 every defensive coordinator knew to just load up inside on us with their biggest and orneriest guys. Watching Big Ben get clobbered by rogue nose tackles became routine in the Steel City this year, and the inside running lanes were less trafficable than the Parkway East on a Monday rush hour. One can only wonder what this season would have been like had the ageless Jeff Hartings returned for one mo' season. Somewhere in Western PA, some kid is trying to sell his Chucky Okobi jersey on E-Bay.
-Lack of depth in the stable. Over the last few years we've all read about the genius of the Steelers' talent acquisition philosophies, particularly that of the running back. We all know the Willie Parker story forwards and backwards. We all know that the Steeler brass rarely spends a Day 1 draft pick on a running back, and we all know that the Rooneys don't often go on free agent spending sprees. So how does a team acquire and replenish it's stable of runners? We all remember when Tomlin brazenly stated that "we will run Willie until the wheels fall off"...well, they fell off, Mike, literally. So what was the next move? Najeh is a decent role player, and a versatile compliment to any team...but he's also the dude that blew out his foot on a stairmaster. The fact of the matter is that he is not, nor has he ever been, an every down back. If Garry Russell was the team's plan as a third stringer, then why did he rate seven whopping carries on the regular season. One day in the distant future, you will be at a sports bar on trivia night, and you will be asked to name the four running backs that suited up for our 2007 wild card game. Shock the world with your answer: Davenport, Carey Davis, Russel, and Verron Haynes. No, not quite the Four Horsemen. Simple truths prevail here. Of the teams that had success in the playoffs this week, all of them had multiple backs who could move the ball. A Michael Turner would have looked really good last Saturday night. Would you still have drafted Matt Spaeth over Tony Hunt now? The Steelers no longer have the luxury of sending in Jerome Bettis or a Fu or even a Duce Staley to acquire those 10 close out yards, and it showed. Lights out.
-The return game. This old horse is beaten, bloody and wobbly, but I'm going to pile it on. In recent years, there has been no greater factor in adverse outcomes during big Steeler games. Tomlin now blames the players. LEARN HOW TO TACKLE!!!
-The Injuries. Great teams overcome injuries. The great Steeler teams of 2001, 2004, and 2005 all found ways to overcome injuries, right? I think a line is drawn somewhere. Maybe it just couples with our lack of depth this year. Season enders to Aaron Smith, Ryan Clark, Dan Kreider, Willie P, Marvel Smith, Max Starks, as well as nagging injuries to Polamalu, Holmes, McFadden, and even Ben really slowed the train this year. I can't remember a year when this many core players finished on the IR. One can only wonder if the Anthony Smith guarantee saga would have even played out had Ryan Clark not been mourning his lost spleen. Oh, remember when you all blasted me for stating that Aaron Smith will be remembered as one of the Steelers greatest defenders...2 wins minimum was the cost of losing him.
FINAL WORD: Every blogger, beat writer, commentator, and fan has an opinion about the Steel collapse, and they are entitled to them. After all the arguments about O line and D line, the depth, the poor draft, the running game, the playcalling, Tomlin's lack of emotions, and Ben's sacks, it all comes down to one word - execution. The Steelers were a play or two away from victory in several losing efforts, to include the wild card game, which now stands as the definition of the season. For whatever reason you care to list, the Steelers just didn't quite finish it this year. They just didn't quite make the play or block or tackle that they needed when it was on the line. They just didn't get it done. In summary, this version of the Steelers was a stark contrast to the team of 2005. In '05, they made these plays, they made these stops, they got it done.
But don't take my word for it, send in your comments.
happy days will return to the North Shore
11 comments:
Losing to the Jets and almost losing to Miami spoiled it for me. The Browns should have taken the division.
Just because you got to experience every Steelers home game doesn't mean you can just waltz back into my life after four months? And besides, what's up with the 14pt. font?
We need some bodies on the O-Line, trade, draft, or sign ... we need to keep Ben off of his back and in the pocket.
We defintely need some more depth at RB, Najeh has a better set of hands out of the backfield, but he doesn't have that speed that Willie has. I don't see Davis or Russell being an option for us, other than for a quick spell.
It was a painful conclusion to the season, now we've got the Pens to carry us through the winter months.
It's a fine day indeed when the King of All Bloggers (DDOY) fills up your in-bin! The font,...well, believe it or not I absorb a lot of bitching about the way my site reads. Maybe the black background.
Yeah, what a crushing ending. I can now say that I hate David Garrard with white hot intensity.
Before we concentrate all focus on the 'Guins, we should remember to mark our calendars for the Jose Lind Bobblehead Night, which will threaten to turn Pittsburgh sports on its ear.
I like the gold font. The jumbo print is only necessary for the readers over the age of 80.
You forget how much you loved Davenport in October. Davis was spared in your scrutiny. What does he do? The punter cost you a mid round pick that may have went for a lineman. Brett Keisel is just lousy. Taylor can't catch the ball. Ward is old and Holmes is small. Timmons was a ghost. This team would win 7 games on a better schedule. Good luck in 2008. There aren't as many soft spots in the schedule.
Great pictures. Fitz rules.
The issues ended up being many…as you correctly point out. It was not just that they had injuries; it’s when they had them. Pretty much stacked towards the end of the year.
This off season will be an interesting one. O line begging for attention, we all know Mahan stunk and Faneca is unlikely to return. At running back you need depth if you are an optimist. If you are not an optimist, you wonder out loud how fast Fast Willie will be after the leg injury. Guys like Willie Reid who were supposed to be able to catch a punt…c’mon now… if you cant do that and are not good enough to dress as a receiver, its time to call it a bust. Ben wants height at receiver, he has ever since Plax left…is that really Dallas Baker ?? As several have already said, Hines aint getting younger. And as statistically good as the defense was on Season totals, they were not that good at the end of the season, late in the game.
Let’s all sit back and crack an IC and see what magic the Rooney’s have in store for us.
Go Pens…hopefully they can stay in the hunt while Crosby is out.
Tomlin's stock is sinking faster than the SS Titanic, but Arians made the lousy calls. It was a good year. We ain't the Patriots though. Alot of upgrades before we are in that class again.
Russel seems to have fallen off the face of the earth, after a solid pre-season. Something tells me the Steelers might trade up to get a guy they can plug in immediately on the OL. I wouldn't mind that at all. better than reaching for the best O-lineman available with the 23rd pick when there are other needs to fill.
The secondary was/is solid, but so much is predicated on pressure and so much of that pressure is tied to being well rested, it was kind of a domino effect when the O-line struggled, the offense stalled and especially when Aaron Smith went down. Oh, well. I will actually watch the pro bowl to see what Ben can do with a good line and three receivers who can get open and catch the ball
Does the Jose Lind bobble head come with or without pants?
If Ben is good in the probowl will you propose a rule change to match those used in the Probowl...ala...no blitzing allowed? My guess is that makes him look a bit better.
i agree punxy...what is a gwintheeskimo anyway?
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