Don’t look now, but the Steelers have lost two of three, and it’s starting to feel like 2009 all over again.
Last night the team played their worst game of the season, allowing the Patriots to do pretty much whatever they wanted to do on both sides of the ball in the New England 39-26 win.
The team was playing their first home game in three weeks, were taking on a Pats team coming off a blowout loss in Cleveland, and could have taken over sole possession of first place with a win.
Yet they played like a team that was scared, unprepared, and totally out of sync.
Yes, it’s starting to look like 09 again.
“We got to stop it early,” Steelers receiver Mike Wallace said of avoiding a losing streak. “Last year we just let it come up on us too fast. Things got in over our heads too fast and it was hard to bounce back, especially in the division that we’re in. Now we know exactly what’s coming, and we will talk about not getting down like last year.”
It’s got to stop now if this team is going to use their third straight 6-2 start of the season to make it to the postseason and not go into the tank.
Now they will have to hear all week about a losing streak, the injuries the team has suffered, and the major letdown against Tom Brady – again.
We need to go back to the lab and do whatever we need to do to not let this happen again … We got to cover better, we got to execute the defense better, we got to get a better pass rush,” James Farrior said. “It’s everything.”
Now the Steelers have a hot Oakland Raiders team coming to town. Maybe with their backs against the wall they will finally get back on their feet. If this team is going to respond, it has got to be now – otherwise, it will be 2009 all over again.
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mark
November 15, 2010 at 12:26 pm
The Raider game this Sunday points toward the direction this team will go. A win, regardless of how/score,keeps the confidence and should dispel the thought of a “losing streak” like last years at this time. A loss, well, that tells a different story. Again, regardless of how/score, a loss creeps in the doubt and blame game that will rekindle last years downward spiral. Yes, it can get out-of-control very quickly in Pittsburgh. I think this team needs a shake-up. Heads should roll and I would start with Jeff Reed. He is KILLING this team every time he dresses for a game. Another line-up change should be Lewis in for McFadden and McFadden in for Gay. It really cannot get any worse than the past 4 weeks for this secondary and changing things might actually improve a BAD unit.How could it hurt? The Arians play calling has been discussed for 3 seasons now, so I am not going to rehash what we know. I will wonder out loud though, when he is going to stop the empty-set,shotgun that he runs every first offensive series ? It has produced NOTHING but the usual 3 and out. Spelling Mendenhall with Moore is also getting old and Redman should get those carries. Is Dwyer that raw that he cant find a way to get on the field? Even as a 3rd down option for an explosive screen/draw? The Steelers are playing boring/flat and soft on both sides of the ball. Matter of fact, take away the 4 Linebackers on this team and Ward and I cant find any other smash-mouth/physical player that the Steelers have built their reputation on. Polamalu,Clark and Taylor have been running around recently and producing nothing. On offense, the entire line other than a still-learning Pouncey has been soft,manipulated and down-right bad in the past month. Injuries are a big part of the game, but this unit is regressing from the one we saw in the first month into the second month. Lets see who shows up this Sunday. Oh and again, Trai Essex should get cut with Reed today. Even with a banged-up line, Essex can be replaced by just about anyone in cleats.
Jay
November 15, 2010 at 6:06 pm
Please someone, anyone, if you hear anything about heads rolling like players getting cut and what not…drop it in on here so I can enjoy an otherwise despicable week. I want carnage and if I’m running this team, Gay, Reed and Essex all would be looking for work right now and we’d be finding out about other younger players…I’d effectively be looking into other coaches too…Okay, the Big Ben remark on an earlier blog was “recantable” material so I recant…but it was in the heat of the moment of watching that brutality and inhumanity lat night…I make it akin to like if I had to watch my wife get beaten and raped and I was tied down and could do nothing about it…I’m pretty sure there wouldn’t be many rational things coming out of my mouth in that circumstance! So please consider the circumstance when I say ben should be traded. The other stuff, however, about Gay, Reed, Essex and Tomlin and Arians and many of the other nimrods running this organization, I don’t know if I can recant. I think it’s a Godamn shame that NE does to us with Brady all the time, I don’t think we can consider ourselves a great organization because of it…I think the Steeler brass is starting to or has been drinking their own Kool Aid of , “We Are the Pittsburgh Steelers and we will run things our way and the rest of yinz can suck it if you don’t like it!” Yeah, might want to let some younger players in the game especially in the secondary because they cant be as bad as mcfadden, Taylor, and Gay, Clark….Oh, don’t participate in free agency at all either while you’re at it! That progressive thinking always goes a long way….Don’t be afraid to invest in a DB in the draft either…2003 was the last 1st rounder on the team….”But, but, we’re the pittsburgh steelers and we develop our players! Why, former hot dog vendors now suit up for us….We don’t need to play in free agency, not even in the slightest….and we certainly don’t need to get coach our teams up before big games!” Mumbo jumbo!
Force
November 15, 2010 at 12:43 pm
William Gay is the reason the game went in the tank. Next week it will be bmac. The steeler D would be great if they can find a replacement fast.
Newt Carpenter
November 15, 2010 at 3:25 pm
I know that Gay gets beat a lot, but the whole defense looked horrible!
That zone defense would give the worst quarterback in the league great numbers. They let receivers catch the ball for a 1st down then try to tackle them, Troy hardly got dirty last night. The defense was playing off the line 12-15 yards, when they needed 8 for a 1st down! That is pretty bad when the Browns are playing at a much higher caliber than the Steelers!
Jeff
November 15, 2010 at 1:24 pm
I’ve never worried about the Steelers not having sufficient depth at any one position but the injuries on the O Line are to wide spread now, so I don’t see anyway this team as constituted can compete with the elite AFC teams. Couple that with the injury bug hits on the D Line and you’re in a tough spot. I know it’s excuses but the facts are the facts. What’s troubling is that whomever was active and starting in that game last night wasn’t ready to play. Tomlin needs to find out what happened to the passion last night and fix it! Living up here in NE, losing AGAIN to Brady and the Patriots is getting old and I’m left looking for answers how that will ever change?
Jeff – Sterling, MASS
Kim
November 15, 2010 at 8:33 pm
Jeff Reed is a total disgrace to this team….His excuse is the grass is horrible at Heinz Field. Let me guess the grass in the unemployment line is better? I would have told him to put his house up for sale 3 weeks ago! and if he missed another easy simple right through the uprights again, don’t stop at the locker room but straight for his car! He would not have been allowed on the plane from New Orleans and in the door at Heinz!
Mike
November 15, 2010 at 9:09 pm
All have made a lot of great points. Gay, Reed, Essex are all disappointing and underachieving. I will say that this organization has developed its share of starting caliber players, though. Mendenhall is a 1,000+ yard running back that all should be happy with. Timmons and Woodley are beasts. Pouncey looks like a starter for the next ten years. Wallace made Holmes expendable. Even Sanders has shown flashes for a rookie. Yes, Ziggy is underachieving (but I believe all he needs is to get on the field and let his game come to him), and we have not developed a single quality star on the OL outside of Pouncey. They are all expendable. DB is another disappoint to us all. Great ones are difficult to come by though. Having said all of that, I believe we were throttled last night not because we weren’t good enough but rather our defensive scheme. Mark is absolutely correct. Tom Brady owns us. He has shredded a lot of different Steelers over the years because of their system. Yes, our DB’s looked awful, but we were dropping eight players and their receivers were still wide open. Our players can’t be that bad. To me, that’s the system. Hell, Pro Bowlers like Harrison and Troy were completely neutralized. The system New England plays completely exploits us. Their offensive game plan is perfectly suited to beat our defensive system. Luckily, you can’t say that about too many other opponents of the Steelers.
DrGeorge
November 16, 2010 at 10:56 am
Good comments, guys. The points we’ve made here are finally making it into the media. See the latest Post Gazette. The players named above, among others, all must bear part of the blame. Reportedly, the Steelers are auditioning other kickers since Reed’s misses. Essex and Gay will probably not return next year. Hood hasn’t done much. And even Ben looks vulnerable; he’s not playing like the money he makes. But realistically, we must make do for now with what we have — and we can.
As I commented yesterday in the article that follow this one, I do believe we can salvage the season and make the playoffs. We are not completely without talent or hope. But adjustments must be made for our injuries, especially on the two lines. And a week of rest will help. This team looks increasingly like the 2009 edition, but we can play a lot better than we did against the Pats. It’s up to Tomlin, Arians, and LeBeau to make the necessary adjustments to reality and not let this snowball, as it did in 2009. Beating Oakland looks increasingly like a necessity to prevent a total collapse. That is doable — but not without making changes.
mark
November 16, 2010 at 11:22 am
Yes DrGeorge! Doable but not without changes. Just having some players realize potential is a huge advantage! How about Ziggy Hood not playing like Robin Hood? How about Ryan Clark and Polamalu not having to “baby-sit” our corners? How about Woodley making in impact in the offensive backfield? How about throwing to Heath Miller more? How about the offensive line, regardless of who is playing, BLOCK someone? I know, Im being facetious on a few of those thoughts, but right now the team needs to avoid collapsing and they need to do whatever it takes to do so. If that means a line-up change so be it. A new kicker, so be it. A philosophy change, so be it. The current way of doing things is failing. I stress the “copy-cat league” mentality. Whatever worked for Cleveland,Miami,New Orleans,Cincy and New England will be employed in one way or another by Oakland. That is the safest bet of the week.