Ed Bouchette: Steelers Made Mistakes Even Before Kickoff

BGI Analysis: Steelers made mistakes even before kickoff
Someone got into Big Ben's head about the gloves

Monday, January 24, 2005
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

All things considered, you'd rather be Philadelphia. At least the Eagles reached the Super Bowl after three straight misses. The Steelers may not get back there in our lifetime.

It does not seem to matter whether the Steelers are favorites, underdogs, play in Three Rivers Stadium, Heinz Field, in warm weather or frigid. They cannot win the AFC championship game at home. They did it one time out of five in the past 11 years and that took a few miracles to happen. Maybe it's time for them to try it on the road next year.

I heard Antwaan Randle El talking on a local radio show this morning. Everyone's been talking about the mistakes the Steelers made last night and how they might have won had they not made some of them. True, but Randle El noted how the Patriots did not make many mistakes, a big reason they win.

The Steelers made mistakes even before the kickoff of yesterday's AFC Championship. Ben Roethlisberger, after a week of controversy in the news media, changed his season-long routine of wearing gloves when playing in cold and dry conditions. The result was the first loss of the rookie's professional career. The Steelers made mistakes even before the kickoff. Someone ? fans, coaches, the media? -- got into quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's head early on. He told me a month ago that he wore gloves when it was cold and dry out. After a week of controversy over him wearing them against the Jets, he took his right glove off even though it was cold and dry. This is a quarterback who wore the gloves since his high school days in the cold because he believed they gave him a better grip on the ball. Instead, he listened to the yahoos.

Did that cause him to overthrow Randle El on his first pass for an interception? I don't know. But not wearing them was telling. So, too, was the stop the Patriots made of Jerome Bettis on fourth-and-one at New England's 39. The Patriots were up 3-0. The Steelers had a chance to make the first down and at least tie the game. It was an opportunity for either team to make a statement and the Patriots did just that by slamming the door on the Bus. Next play, 60 yard touchdown pass and New England was off and running at 10-0.

That play also may have caused coach Bill Cowher to kick a field goal in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 11 instead of going for it on fourth down at the two. The coach made a statement there and it wasn't a good one.

If the 6-5 Plaxico Burress had not dropped Roethlisberger's pass on second down from the three, we wouldn't be talking about this right now. But on third and three, the Steelers sent Jerome Bettis up the middle for a yard. OK, now let's see what you have on fourth down? Instead, Cowher chose to kick a field goal.

First, if you decided you were going to do that if you did not make it, why not try something on third down other than a run up the middle in a game in which you haven't been running very well.

So you had first down at the four, trailing by 14, and did not score a touchdown. You have to go for it on fourth down from the two. If you miss, the Patriots get the ball on the two with 13:30 left up by two scores. If you make it, you're down one score with 13:30 to go and there's a huge lift both to the fans and your players.

Instead, Cowher took the air out of everyone, the fans who booed lustily and his own players, by kicking a field goal. And what did he accomplish? They now needed three scores to tie: a touchdown, a two-point conversion and a field goal. That's assuming the Patriots did nothing in the interim.
But then, the Steelers haven't lost four out of five at home without reasons.

And while we're at it, Plaxico Burress answered all of the questions you've been asking me all season about whether they should keep him or not. Why would you want to keep a receiver who drops a touchdown pass in the end zone and then complains afterward that they didn't throw him the ball enough?

Are you kidding me? I wouldn't spend another dime on him. In fact, I'd send a message to the entire franchise today if I were Cowher, Kevin Colbert, Dan Rooney, Art Rooney, whomever. I'd come out and announce that the team will not offer Burress a contract, will not make him their franchise player, will not pursue him in free agency.
Make a statement. The Steelers did not do it in the AFC championship game. Time to work on doing it for next season.

(Black & Gold Insider will continue publishing through Friday with daily analysis, player comments, any Steelers related columns by Ron Cook, Bob Smizik and Gene Collier plus the Fan Q & A with Ed Bouchette. In addition, BGI will publish the transcript of Steelers coach Bill Cowher's season-ending press conference, tentatively scheduled for Wednesday. )