Sunday, January 29, 2006Pittsburgh Post Gazette
There ought to be, it says here, one more appreciative squint at the rear-view mirror before the Steelers bolt for Detroit Rock City tomorrow.
Much of what has happened in the NFL playoffs likely will be swept to the corners of our memory by the events of Super Bowl XL, so while we can still provide one, herewith a seriously unofficial Top Ten list ranking the biggest plays from three consecutive January Sundays on which Pittsburgh's team shattered hearts from Ohio to the Rockies.
There were dozens of others, like Ben Roethlisberger's hair-raising little 6-yard run on third-and-5 in Cincinnati, the first sign of life from a Steelers team down, 10-0, and dragging around a dark playoff history, and Kevin Kaesviharn's pass-interference penalty that shifted the Steelers from the Bengals' 45 to the 5 later that afternoon.
It was from there they took their first lead of the postseason.
They haven't trailed since.
But here are the 10 biggest.
10. Ben Roethlisberger to Hines Ward for 17 yards and a touchdown, second quarter at Denver.
Rolling left from pressure and throwing across his body, Big Ben floats one perfectly to Ward behind two leaping Broncos to send Steelers to the locker room with a ridiculous, 24-3 halftime lead.
9. Ike Taylor intercepts Jake Plummer, second quarter at Denver.
Taylor, who claims he has had 10 potential interceptions clank off his dubious hands in an otherwise brilliant breakout season, steps in front of an awful pass from Jake the Fake to Stephen Alexander at the Denver 39. Play No. 10 above followed five plays later.
8. Roethlisberger to Cedrick Wilson for 12 yards and a touchdown, first quarter at Denver.
Ben pump-faked toward Ward, running a slant from the right. Denver corner Champ Bailey bit on it, leaving Wilson alone on the right border of the end zone. The Steelers jumped on top, 10-0.
7. Antwaan Randle El's throw-back pass to Roethlisberger, who bombed one to Wilson for 43 yards and a touchdown, third quarter at Cincinnati.
Offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt was Inspector Gadget that day. Wilson said Ben had the option to throw to him deep or to Ward underneath, but "you know Ben," Wilson said, "he likes to go for the guzzler." Uh-huh.
6. Roethlisberger to Willie Parker, a simple short-side screen that went for 19 yards and a touchdown, second quarter at Cincinnati.
Down, 10-0, and the postseason looking perfectly stillborn, Parker took Ben's dump-off and bolted in to defibrillate Bill Cowher's team.
5. Roethlisberger to Wilson for 54 yards to the Bengals' 21, second quarter at Cincinnati.
Shaking loose for his longest reception of the season, Wilson ignited the drive that punctured a second 10-point deficit (17-7), allowing the Steelers to go in at halftime down by three points instead of 10.
4. Bryant McFadden breaking up Peyton Manning's pass to Reggie Wayne in the Steelers' end zone, fourth quarter at Indianapolis.
Protecting a three-point lead, McFadden, the rookie corner, outjumped, outfought, just flat outplayed Wayne at that moment. Had he failed, the Colts would have gone ahead, 25-21, with 25 seconds left.
3. Troy Polamalu's interception that was and then wasn't, fourth quarter at Indianapolis.
The splendid Steelers safety, lunging and tumbling across the giant horseshoe-on-the-helmet logo in the middle of the RCA Dome's carpet, picked off Manning's pass to tight end Bryan Fletcher. But after an extended ("this ain't right, the jury's out too long") review, Polamalu's ostensible victory-clinching play is ruled an incompletion by referee Peter Morelli. Madness ensues.
2. Kimo von Oelhoffen's bull rush toward quarterback Carson Palmer, first quarter at Cincinnati.
Palmer was about to start the day 1 for 1 for 66 yards, but he was also about to leave on a cart with his knee in shreds. Von Oelhoffen almost universally was absolved of guilt except for some idiot Ohio talk-show callers, but who's to say that Palmer wasn't the player best equipped to derail the Steelers' playoff season?
1. Roethlisberger's desperate, spinning, arm tackle on Nick Harper, who'd picked up Jerome Bettis' fumble at the Colts' 7 and set off to the land of Immaculate Receptions, Hail Mary's, Music City and Meadowlands Miracles, et al., fourth quarter at Indianapolis.Harper scooped it up in the middle of the field, faked as though he was headed toward the sideline, turning Ben around 180 degrees, then inexplicably cut back toward the middle, where Roethlisberger's right arm corralled him at the 42. That play essentially left things up to Indianapolis kicker Mike Vanderjagt, who wasn't wearing No. 13 for nothin' that day. His hysterically wide right 46-yard field-goal try was last seen headed toward a mezzanine men's room.
The Steelers embarked in another direction: Motown via Colorado.
(Post-Gazette sports columnist Gene Collier can be reached at gcollier@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1283.)
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