Week 10 Notes, or Steelers-Browns redux

Steelers 34 Browns 21

After witnessing Antwaan Randle El lay a howitzer into the hands of Hines Ward while both gentlemen were running near full throttle, sixty three thousand fans ask the question…do the Steelers really have quarterback issues?

On the other hand, Tommy Maddox is nothing but gutsy. After his pathetic performance against Jacksonville, to even step on the field takes stones. We should be proud of him. We may not want him as one of our primary quarterbacks, but you have to hand it to the guy. He doesn’t quit. And, Tommy played well enough in his role as caretaker QB, handing off and scattering four completions over seven attempts for a little over three yards per pass. I’m just really happy for him that the interception was nullified by the Cleveland facemask penalty. That could have been ugly.

Where were the Steelers tight ends? Heath Miller’s recent success brought renewed attention by the Browns’ defense to the big rookie Sunday night, as well as to Heath’s fellow TE Matt Kranchick. Maddox threw a ball incomplete to Heath early in the fourth to mark the first one in the game. Matt caught a six-yarder later that quarter. Whatever it was, it worked. Three Pittsburgh receivers were open for thirteen catches, 191 yards, and a touchdown, as Charlie Batch cruised to a 92.0 quarterback rating in one-half of work.

The offensive line: 159 yards rushing, 3.9 yard per carry, and no sacks. There is nothing else to say about that.

It seems that Pittsburgh has more fresh-legged running backs than any other team in the league. Not only are these guys rested now, they will be comparatively spry by playoff time. Of course, I’d take a weary Duce Staley and Jerome Bettis over a tired Shaun Alexander or a gassed Edgerrin James. Also, think of Verron Haynes and Willie Parker giving Duce and The Bus a spell in January.

No cover of Sports Illustrated jinx for Troy Polamalu…so far. In 2001, the bug bit Kordell Stewart. He was on in late November of that year and ended up throwing ten picks in his final four games against Cincinnati (4), Cleveland (2), Baltimore in the divisional playoffs (1), and New England (3) in that dreaded AFC championship game. The curse was so bad that, in the 2002 opener at the new Razor in Foxborough Mass., the New England defense caught his first two passes. Why am I writing this? The anti-jinx, of course. Also, it’s proof that the jinx is a state of mind. If you remember, Kordell was so bad he couldn’t hit the wing of a Boeing 777 from anywhere on the tarmac. He couldn’t hit big hair at a Def Leppard concert. Kordell couldn’t hit a Democrat at an ACLU rally. He could throw the football all he wanted to, but he couldn’t hit a Republican at an Exxon-Mobil board of directors meeting.

Speaking of Steelers quarterbacks…I ran a comparison on the quarterbacks who started in the John Stallworth years and those who started for Hines Ward. Conclusion? There is no definite conclusion, except Hines has seen a bit more turmoil at the position. Throughout most of John's career, Terry Bradshaw ruled. Then came the Mark Malone/Scott Campbell/David Woodley era, not one from which record receptions can be generated. By the numbers, Hines has caught passes from as many quarterbacks. However, one can hardly refer to Kordell Stewart as a stable passer. He couldn’t hit a nun in a crowded convent. Kordell couldn’t…enough with that. Consider the uninteresting Kent Graham, the uninvited Mike Tomczak, the inconsistent Tommy Maddox, the invisible Charlie Batch, and, finally, the inexperienced Ben Roethlisberger. All are decent quarterbacks in their own right, but can you hang your cleats on any of them? That’s what makes Hines Ward's record even more remarkable.

Steelers-Browns: Familiar Feud


Those in football know that you can define the noun “rivalry” by using the noun, “Steelers-Browns.” It’s like this: Montagues-Capulets is like Steelers-Browns except the women in Shakespeare’s play are not as pretty as those in Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Hatfields-McCoys is like Steelers-Browns except the guys in helmets have a lot more teeth. Regardless, it is indeed a rivalry, not a duel. Lives and dignities remain in tact. Ahh, we'll address dignity later. Anyway, it is definitely not Aaron Burr-Alexander Hamilton, yet every game between the Steelers and the Browns is like USA-Soviet ice hockey all over again. It just depends on with whom you speak as to which one is the hammer and sickle.

The two teams joined the same NFL division in 1950. Cleveland had the upper hand early, but since the advent of the Steel Curtain, and with exception to the Browns success in the mid-to-late 80s, Pittsburgh has been the one to beat. Rarely have the Steelers and the Browns been great in the same season, but there is just as much color. William Green’s and Joey Porter’s pre-game discussion last year had the same effect as Turkey Jones impaling the turf with Terry Bradshaw's head in 1976. Something is always added to the story.

There are as many personal Steelers-Browns experiences as there are Steelers’ fans and Browns’ fans. A friend invited me to the two teams' final contest at Three Rivers in 2000. We sat in a mezzanine section behind an end zone. Probably for sadistic kicks, the ticket office sat fans of both persuasions in my section. Unfortunately, the numbers were even. There was a rhythm to it: every so often, fists would fly through the air, the crowd would rise like we were doing the wave, then the ruckus would abate. I sat beside a family who made the two-hour trip down I-76. As his attractive wife and two well-mannered teenage sons looked on, this guy was visibly upset over every call that went against Cleveland. Consequently, his life was threatened on numerous occasions. My life was threatened once. I’m peace-loving, choosing to walk away so I can walk away another day. But, I was caught in the cross-fire between two rival fans in a confined space full of men. Fortunately, there was only one shove apiece along with some foul language. They were probably cousins.

On to tonight’s game: Pittsburgh must shut down Cleveland’s passing attack and force running back Reuben Droughns to beat us, which of course will not happen. The aspect I am not so confident about is our passing game. Hines Ward, Antwaan Randle El, Heath Miller, and Charlie Batch are going to have to get on the same page. In Green Bay, they weren’t even in the same library. And, the offensive line will have to blow them out again to allow Duce Staley to keep the Browns guessing.

Passing it the key. If we keep them on the ground and pass well ourselves, we’ll win by three touchdowns. If not, it’s a toss-up.

Good Teams Always Make You Pay for Your Mistakes

Steelers 20 Packers 10

Good teams always make you pay for your mistakes. Early in the second quarter that guillotine of a statement fell hard on Green Bay. Troy Polamalu’s fumble pick-up for the 13-3 lead got the highlight tape rolling and rallied Pittsburgh fans everywhere. That big play was set up by the worst back-to-back Green Bay miscues of a day filled with Green Bay miscues. Two Packers red zone false starts took a third and goal on the 2 and turned it into an obvious passing situation. Brett Favre dropped back, was sacked, lost the ball, and you know the rest.

Troy’s timely dine and dash was not the only turning point for Pittsburgh. Green Bay rallied after the Steeler TD, holding the ball for the final 9:30 of the half, with four for five on third down conversions. In other words, they kicked Steeler butt. Then, bad luck struck, the unfortunate and untimely push of a Ryan Longwell kick that hit Packers fans hard. All the effort was for nothing, making the trip to the locker room a rough one. The Pack was two scores down instead of one, as everyone heard the pin-prick of deflated expectations.

Green Bay, however, must have gotten it back at the half. It’s difficult to speculate on what speech Brett Favre gave his team at intermission. Maybe he didn’t say anything and just allowed professionalism take over. Maybe he was just being Favre, as his aura enveloped his teammates and brought them up. Regardless, the Packers lined up for the second half and proceeded to take it to one of the league’s top defenses, holding the ball over 7 minutes, systematically shoving it 65 yards down the Steelers’ collective throats for a touchdown, pulling within 3 at Lambeau before 70,000 screaming heads of cheese, as the chill got colder and the momentum got hotter.

Over the course of the game, Green Bay held the ball for 27 minutes of the 37 minutes played. But, they only had 10 points to show for it, and had given up that many on turnovers. Both teams were at a crossroads. Could Pittsburgh’s offense get on track? Had the Steeler D been worn down by the surging Packers? Can Green Bay finally produce scores?

Enter the Duce.

Pittsburgh’s runners gained only 72 yards in the first half, with Antwaan Randle El getting more than half of that on the end around for the first play from scrimmage. It was odd; the clinicians of rushing were being punished by a 1-6 team. Jerome Bettis was out, Willie Parker was hurting, and Charlie Batch’s passing game was anemic. Still, Bill Cowher knew what Duce Staley could do for a good, yet struggling team. Staley had struggled himself, spending more time than he wanted with the trainers in a Steelers career fraught with injuries. But, the man got together with his line and made the Pittsburgh ground attack a symphony of bone-crushers. In the final 22:30, Green Bay’s once dominant force held the ball only 6:55 as the Steelers defense turned down the compression screws. Duce Staley in that time reeled off run after run, taking the ball 12 times for 68 extremely tough yards, consecutive rushes of 7, 2, 13, 1, 5, 9, 2, 6, 3, no gain, 3, and 17 yards, complete with a touchdown that stretched the lead to 10, where it ended. It was a beautiful sight.

Back to the title of this piece: Pittsburgh scored 17 points off Green Bay turnovers. Note to self in the NFL: don’t screw up around the Steelers.

Charlie Batch is not Roy Hobbs

You saw it coming. It was as plain as a homer, complete with the lights exploding. Steeler third team quarterback Charlie Batch is The Natural, I’ve read. I can see why it's being said, but I don't agree.

Let’s examine this. The novel, on which Robert Redford’s movie is based, was written in the early 50s by a fellow scribe named Bernard Malamud and is arguably one of the best sports stories told. Roy Hobbs, the hero, is given a second chance to prove his value. If it’s Vinny Testaverde, we’re talking fifth or sixth chance…and, actually, let’s not compare Charlie or Vinny or Kurt Warner to Roy because Hobbs struck out after deciding against throwing the game. There is nothing wrong with striking out, and no NFL QB would begin to think of what Roy considered. Regardless, this week alone I’ve read enough Roy Hobbs metaphors for the season, so give it a rest.

What Charlie Batch is…is Charlie Batch, and that’s more than enough. He’s a capable runner and passer who has done it before and, as the Detroit Lions’ starter from 1998 through 2001, has done it well. In a 52 game career, he’s put up over 9,000 yards, with 49 TDs against 40 interceptions. Charlie ran the ball 126 times and has endured 148 sacks, because, after all, he did play for Detroit. Most importantly, through all the futility of the Lions and the patience he has exhibited in his four years and eight passes with the Steelers, and considering he has to line up opposite a legend in Beowulf, I’m not worried about Charlie Batch. He’s been around the track several times in his three decades, and, as the old adage goes, the one coaches use when faced with this situation, not only will Pittsburgh win with Charlie Batch, they will win because of Charlie Batch.

I’m still holding with my one touchdown victory.

Brett Favre is Always Dangerous.

Brett Favre is the 21st century Beowulf, the title character of the greatest work of Old English literature. Written at the beginning of the second millennium, Beowulf chronicled the lives and struggles of men who manifested the Germanic code of loyalty to chief and tribe and vengeance to enemies, like the slaying of dragons. Brett is loyal to coach and team, and has dropped a few fire-breathing metaphorical lizards in his days. So, he is dangerous. Always. And, here’s why:

Any quarterback who is well into his second decade in the NFL and still a) plays in the cold, b) eschews the hook slide, or at least doesn’t like it, and c) makes every play look like he just drew it up in the dirt, is a force with which to be reckoned.

Any quarterback who wins a Super Bowl has the skills and chutzpah to do it again.

Any quarterback who loses a Super Bowl will always have the burning drive within him to give it another go, up to and including the day he steps up to the lectern in Canton.

Any quarterback who is aging yet doesn’t play old is a complete badass.

Beowulf’s final declaration to those who were in awe of him, their king of fifty years, was written in Old English, but went something like this:

“I ventured many battles in my youth; now, old, I will seek another, try again for glorious deeds, if that avenger will come out.”

The Pittsburgh D will come out. Steelers by a TD in a close one.

I’ll blog about Charlie Batch on Saturday.

There’s No Business Like Show Business

If you like hitting, the first half of the Pittsburgh-Baltimore Monday night game offered you a great deal of entertainment. If you like drama with your hitting, the second half was better than Hollywood.

Dramatic irony in show business takes place when the audience knows something that the characters do not. For instance, I knew, just knew that the Steelers were going to take it, for a number of reasons, from the belief that the Ravens would eventually wilt under the weight of all their defensive talent standing on the sidelines to the fact that Bill Cowher is 10-0 on Monday night at home. I knew this, but Pittsburgh and Baltimore played like they didn’t. The Steelers’ defense in the second half had no answer to the suddenly rejuvenated Ravens’ offense, an attack that ranks dead last in the league in scoring, and Pittsburgh’s offense couldn’t generate a meaningful drive after it took a 17-10 lead midway through the 3rd quarter. Baltimore chipped away, annoyingly nipping at the heels of the Steelers’ D until that wall finally gave in to three 40 yard plus field goals and the lead. In sum, Baltimore knew they couldn’t lose, and Pittsburgh looked like winning could be a destination just beyond the horizon.

However, someone forgot to tell Jerome Bettis.

As if he appeared from that all-knowing audience, from deep in the upper deck cheap seats, in Row LL, halfway through the alphabet, twice, the Bus came into play after Baltimore led at 19-17 with 3:21 remaining. Ben Roethlisberger started at the Pittsburgh 21 and completed two quick passes to Antwaan Randle El and Quincy Morgan to get to the Ravens’ 42. Verron Haynes picked up 7 to the 35, then yielded the tailback slot to one of the best late-game ball carriers in the history of the NFL. Jerome got 11, then 5, then 2 more, setting up the field goal that would prove to be the winning points after the Steelers’ defense quelled a final Ravens attempt.

Pan the gridiron, and fade to Jerome Bettis walking off, fist in air in celebration. There is indeed no business like show business.

I Like Ray Lewis, and Other Musings on Monday's Game

The Ray Lewis of the 21st century reminds me of the Dick Butkus of the decade of the 1960s. He looks like him, with the huge torso and the short inseam. He plays like him, stuffing the middle and roaming sideline-to-sideline, delivering misery to every ballcarrier. But, their most common trait can be described by their single most important contribution to football: an innate ability to bring an inconceivable amount of havoc to an already incredibly violent game. A game against Butkus meant you were going to be taken up a couple of notches in the vehemence department. Ray Lewis does that, too, and like no other out there now.

However…

Ray Lewis is with the double rival, a division team that used to be the Browns. That alone brings him down for the week to merely respectable, and it doesn’t matter anyway because he’s injured and won’t play.

So, that’s Lewis, out with a thigh, as well as safety Ed Reed with a high ankle sprain, the 2003 and 2004 NFL Defensive Players of the Year award winners. I don't care whom they have in there as subs, the potential remains for a disastrous outing for the Baltimore Ravens on the Monday night stage. I feel for them.

It could be a three-touchdown deficit in the first half alone. The Ravens may have a number six ranking in scoring defense, but that's without their two big hitters. And, that's moot anyway, because Baltimore can't score. Their only two victories were against the anemic Browns and the hapless Jets, and then they could manage to dial up only 16 and 13, a good day for an offense dead last in the league in scoring. It's sad, to a point.

As a huge Steelers fan, I want opponents walking onto Heinz Field with pride and vigor, not shocked and limping. Pittsburgh-Baltimore games should be gladiator battles. No one team should be a 10 point favorite, which, by the way, started the week at 8-1/2. As NFL odds go, that's a blowout on the horizon. I know about the any-given-Sunday yada, but the only thing in the favor of the Ravens is that they are so bad the Steelers could lose focus and the game could get sloppy.

This is not what ABC envisioned.

I'll enjoy the black-and-gold offensive fireworks and stalwart defense, but when I see the Steelers beat the Ravens on Monday Night Football, I want both teams to be playing at the tops of their games.

Pittsburgh by four touchdowns.