It’s time to face facts, the 2009 Steelers are going to become the second straight Steelers squad to follow up a Super Bowl season with missing the playoffs. The 2006 team though had a different vibe, as they started slow, going 2-6 and then following it up by wrapping up the year 6-2. Then of course the team went through a huge change at the top with Bill Cowher stepping down as coach.
No matter how 09 wraps up, Mike Tomlin is going nowhere, and while we’ve already addressed the changes that could be made with assistants, the bottom line is the players have not played as well as last season. Sure you can blame some injuries as the reason for the letdown, but at the end of the day, the team has had a stunning letdown on both sides of the ball.
So with that said, here are a couple of players in my opinion that failed to live up to the hype this year, and some of these guys may not be back in 2010.
1. William Gay – When Bryant McFadden left the team this offseason to go to Arizona, the club felt that Gay would be able to step in and be that 2nd CB and they wouldn’t lose much. They were wrong. Week after week Gay has allowed opposing wide outs to get too open, and then has whiffed on tackles way too many times. It’s no wonder many think that the club will address the CB spot this offseason.
2. James Farrior – A player who never seemed to have a bad game, has had moments this season that show that he’s getting older. Two prime moments come to mind: the first Bengals game when he failed to cover Andre Caldwell on the game-winning TD, and the 4th down play vs Baltimore when everyone knew Ray Rice was getting the ball, and Farrior allowed Joe Flacco to find him for a huge gain that led to a game-tying field goal. You gotta love Farrior’s heart, but he’s not the player he was last year.
3. Limas Sweed – Many felt that after a slow rookie year, Sweed would step up and be the teams #3 wide out. Instead, Sweed is buried on the bench after dropping a for sure TD vs the Bengals that could have put the game away, and then when he finally did get back on the field he dropped an early pass vs the Lions. I would like to see what Sweed could do given the chance again, but now behind rookie Mike Wallace, Sweed may never live up to the #2 pick the team spent on him.
4. Willie Parker – Once again in 2009 Parker was given the starting job based on the past, and once again, he failed to come in and make an impact. Blame the game-planning on not using him enough, but he’s only putting up 3.3 yards per carry, and has just 259 yards and no touchdowns. He’s gone after this season, and the team will need to go out and get another running back to back up Rashard Mendenhall.
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DrGeorge
December 16, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Your names and assessments seem just. However, you missed the point with Farrior: he is still a force against the run, but he’s often asked to cover backs and WRs on delay routes. Not many ILBs his size can do that consistently well. He should be replaced with a faster ILB on obvious passing downs. That’s a coaching gaffe. Farrior could start for many NFL teams; Gay, Sweed, and Parker should begin planning for life after football.
Despite his statistics, you have to rank Ben as a major disappointment this year, too; he’s been forced by defenses to throw from the pocket, and he’s not been as effective as a pocket passer, especially in the red zone. On the O-line, M. Starks at LT and the Guards (starters and backups) also played below par this year, but that may be due to coaching myopia in trying to run the spread with linemen whose talents are better suited to run blocking.
The entire D-line, except Keisel, has been disappointing in their inability to get to the QB or to stop the run late. Hood has yet to show anything to justify his #1 draft status.
mark
December 16, 2009 at 4:54 pm
I can add Townsend,Carter and Clark to the list. Townsend could not unseat Gay. Enough said about where Deshea’s career is at. Carter cant hold Troy’s jock, let alone replace him as a starter. I know that’s unfair to compare the two, but can’t a seasoned veteran make a play somewhere, sometime during a season? Clark is a BIG hitter and… well, that’s about all. Out of position, bad angles, cushions and slow to the ball are what Carter and Clark have in common. If Hood isn’t starting these last 3 games or by next year, we have a problem. Yes, Farrior is still effective against the run, but he is asked to cover backs and TE’s and he showed his age too many times this year when he was doing that.Ike Taylor has had a down year and Gay was awful! I think between all the posters on the site, we have covered every aspect of a bad season.
Mike
December 19, 2009 at 6:50 pm
I’d like to add the entire special teams units…nothing in the return game and horrible on return coverage. Carter is a nickel and dime extra defensive back at best…he is not a starter and it shows. Big Ben is an “all or nothing” guy…his lack of consistent and intelligent play has cost the team dearly this year. He has the potential to be great…perhaps his off field difficulties with the pending court case has affected his decision making…let’s hope he gets it resolved before next year!