TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) watches Denver Broncos defensive end Tim Crowder (background, C) run for a touchdown on a Roethlisberger fumble on a bad snap in their NFL football game in Denver, Colorado October 21, 2007.
Ben Roethlisberger dropped back on 15 of the Steelers' first 24 plays at Denver.
Ridiculous game plan, right?
Not really, because it helped the Steelers reach the Super Bowl. Those plays happened two years ago in the AFC title game, when the Steelers knew the Broncos would load up against the run.
The daring plan almost blew up early, when Champ Bailey dropped a sure interception, but reaching for greatness always carries a risk.
The Steelers used a similar approach a week earlier in their underrated upset win at Indianapolis. Remember, people were drooling over that Colts team just as fervently as they are now over the Patriots.
That day, Roethlisberger dropped back on seven of the first 10 snaps, 12 of 20, as the Steelers took a 14-0 lead.
Had either plan backfired -- and either could have, easily -- folks would have fried Bill Cowher and his coordinator, Ken Whisenhunt, for surrendering their run-first identity.
Which brings us to the loss Sunday night at Denver, the one that has Mike Tomlin and his coordinator, Bruce Arians, spending some quality time in the frying pan.
Why in the world would the Steelers come out passing against the NFL's lowest-ranked run defense, a unit far less effective than the one Denver had two years ago?
Maybe because they knew it would work.
Maybe because they knew Denver would position eight or more defenders in the box.
And maybe everybody's overreacting. Take away their two-minute drill, and the Steelers attempted 16 passes and 11 runs in the first half, not so different from the 13 passes and 12 first-half runs against Seattle two weeks earlier.
Willie Parker had seven carries in the second quarter Sunday. Arians did not abandon the run in the second half, despite trailing.
I'm guessing there were no complaints about the first drive, when the Steelers marched 60 yards in eight plays (six passes) to take a 7-0 lead, only to see the defense give it right back.
Hines Ward's drop killed the next possession.
On possession No. 4, the Steelers opened with four running plays, one for 27 yards. It was a draw to Parker, set up by the threat of a pass (on their other 11 first-half runs, they netted 27 yards).
To open the fifth possession, Parker ran twice for minus-4 yards (why don't they throw the &!#@# ball!). Ward dropped another pass. Parker gained one yard, and Roethlisberger was picked off at the Denver 39.
Minutes later, a Roethlisberger fumble was scooped up for a Denver touchdown.
Yeah, well, running backs fumble, too.
That would mark the last time anything but the clock stopped the Steelers' offense.
If the normally reliable Ward doesn't drop two passes, and the normally reliable defense doesn't give up a first-possession touchdown, the Steelers stake themselves to a nice lead, just as they did in those playoff games, and shift to the attrition phase of their plan.
Tomlin was asked Tuesday if he had any regrets about the offensive game plan.
"No, really none," he said.
Nor should he.
Besides, wasn't it the defense that allowed all those long third-down plays, went offside twice on the game-losing drive and gave up three touchdowns to a unit that had only seven through five games?
How come nobody's talking about the defensive game plan?
Joe Starkey is a sports writer for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He can be reached at jstarkey@tribweb.com
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