Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Monday, September 08, 2008
Peter Diana/Post-Gazette Steelers coach Mike Tomlin celebrates a touchdown against the Texans yesterday at Heinz Field. Tomlin is 2-0 in season openers.
This beating took Houston Texans pass-rush specialist N.D. Kalu back, way back, probably back to the 1996 season when he played his final season at Rice University. The Owls opened that year at Ohio State and were licked, 70-7.
In the NFL, a 38-17 whipping is just as bad.
"It felt like a big college powerhouse playing against one of those small schools," Kalu said after the Steelers took out their paddle and delivered a big-time spanking yesterday at Heinz Field.
"I looked across the field and their starters were out in the third quarter. They didn't even have to finish the game. It's embarrassing. Really, really embarrassing.
"We got exposed."
The Texans did not see this annihilation coming. This is their seventh season in the NFL. It's supposed to be their year to have their first winning record and, finally, compete for a playoff spot.
And it starts with a three-touchdown whipping in a game that wasn't even that close?
"I'm extremely surprised," coach Gary Kubiak said. "I've got no excuses for you. We got manhandled. Obviously, we weren't close to good enough."
Matt Freed/Post-Gazette
Hines Ward celebrates his second quarter touchdown against the Texans with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Defensive end Anthony Weaver tried hard to be positive.
"Do I think we're that bad? No, I don't," he said.
You know the follow-up question, right?
"The Steelers are a hell of a team. They're a hell of a franchise," Kubiak said. "Their quarterback is one great player, the job that he does. Defensively, they don't give up big plays. You know that going in. You've got to find a way to go toe-to-toe with them. We didn't do it."
I asked offensive tackle Eric Winston the same question.
"Absolutely. They're the Steelers, aren't they?" he said. "Polamalu, Farrior, they've been doing it forever. Casey Hampton has been to the Pro Bowl 100 times ...
"I see only two ways to beat them here. You have to line up and pound them and beat them at their own game. Jacksonville was the only team to do that here last season. Or you have to do it the way New England did it. You have to have a lot of great athletes and spread 'em out.
"Obviously, we didn't do it either way."
Matt Freed/Post-Gazette
James Farrior and Nick Eason take down Texans quarterback Matt Schaub in the third quarter Sunday afternoon.
Rookie offensive tackle Duane Brown -- the Texans' No. 1 draft pick from Virginia Tech -- might have been most impressed after Steelers linebacker James Harrison schooled him in his first NFL start. He was beaten for two of Harrison's three sacks and would have given up a few more if he hadn't gotten away with holding. That Winston tried to offer a little veteran's comfort -- "Fortunately, I didn't have to block [Harrison]" -- didn't do much to ease the kid's agony.
"I didn't stick with my techniques and the crowd got to me a little," Brown said. "I know it's my first game and this is the NFL, but I wish I could have done better."
All of the Texans thought that way, starting with Kubiak, who saw his curious decision to go for it on fourth-and-one at the Steelers 48 early in the game blow up when quarterback Matt Schaub's sneak was stuffed by Hampton and Brett Keisel. Soon after, Schaub threw an interception to linebacker LaMarr Woodley to put the Texans in a deep hole and force them to abandon their running game. "I am extremely disappointed in myself," Schaub said.
Added guard Chester Pitts, "There just weren't many holes in their defense. There wasn't any space for us to get things going."
Defensively, the Texans might have taken an even worse beating. Steelers running back Willie Parker gashed them for 138 yards and three touchdowns in three quarters before calling it an easy and satisfying day. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 13 of 14 passes for 137 yards and a couple of touchdowns to wide receiver Hines Ward before joining Parker on the sideline -- much to Kalu's and the Texans' dismay -- and putting on his ball cap, backward, of course.
Peter Diana/Post-Gazette
Steelers Aaron Smith stops the Texans runningback Steve Slaton.
"They only threw it 18 times," Kubiak said. "In the NFL, if you only make a team throw 18 times, you're going to be in deep trouble. That's controlling the football game."
The Steelers controlled this one from the start.
It made for a long flight home for the Texans.
"We laid an egg," Pitts said, "but you have to tip your hat to those guys.
"They're pretty good."
Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.
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First published on September 8, 2008 at 12:00 am
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