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Friday, September 11, 2009
Ten quick takes on Steelers-Titans ...
10. According to offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, the Steelers put in an entirely new two-minute offense last week, because they were fearful that Titans receiver Nate Washington -- a Steeler until this season -- was going to give away their secrets. It couldn't have worked better, accounting for all the Steelers' points in a 13-10 overtime victory. That included a late touchdown in the first half, a fourth-quarter field goal and an overtime field goal. Arians said the Steelers have a slow-down two-minute drill and a "fast-break" drill, and that the fast break was used exclusively. "It was all new," Arians said. "And our guys did a great job of learning it and executing it under pressure."
PITTSBURGH - SEPTEMBER 10: Ben Roethlisberger(notes) #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers passes against the Tennessee Titans during the game at Heinz Field on September 10, 2009 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Boehm/Getty Images)9. Rip the offensive line if you must, but it sure looked like when the game was on the line, Ben Roethlisberger had more than enough time to go through his progressions and ad-lib. In fact, on the 22-yard pass to Mike Wallace that set up the winning field goal, Roethlisberger had five full seconds to scan the field.
8. Part of the secret to the protection, Arians felt, was that the Titans were tiring as they tried to defend the "fast break." Roethlisberger was his usual self, making everyone pull their hair out but completing 33 of 43 passes for 363 yards. And, of course, winning the game.
7. This recipe for winning, flawed as it might be, looked awfully familiar: Solid defense, no running game, tons of quarterback hits, terrible short-yardage offense ... and clutch plays with the game in the balance. It's hard to imagine the Steelers winning another Super Bowl with a lousy running game, but I'd never say it's impossible. As guard Chris Kemoeatu put it, "We've been in those situations before." They usually turn out pretty well, too.
6. Aside from the quarterback, strong safety Troy Polamalu might be the player the Steelers can least afford to lose long-term. Polamalu left late in the first half with an MCL sprain that could keep him out 3-6 weeks. "I'd be a fool to say it wouldn't change our team, as far as emotionally, physically, everything he brings to the table," teammate Ryan Clark said. Added defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau: "You don't replace Troy. Troy's one in a million." That said, the defense rebounded from a post-Polamalu breakdown late in the first half to play stout football in the second.
5. One in a million? How about a billion? Polamalu made more incredible plays in the first quarter than some safeties do in a season. He covered 10 yards in a millisecond to submarine running back Chris Johnson and kill one drive, then made a leaping, left-handed interception to kill another. He also was called for pass interference and a late hit, but both calls were terrible. On the late hit, Johnson was still in-bounds when Polamalu left his feet to tackle him near mid-midfield. On the interference call, receiver Justin Gage ran up Polamalu's back.
4. Hard to figure having no fullback in front of Willie Parker on a 3rd-and-1. Parker was alone in the backfield with a predictable result on the first drive of the second half: no gain. Does anyone have Isaac Redman's number? Of course, things didn't work out much better for Mewelde Moore on a 3rd-and-1 later in the game — and he had Frank the Tank as his lead blocker.
3. Limas Sweed, please report to will call. The Steelers' second-round pick from last season didn't see many snaps and had no catches. Wallace appears to have supplanted him as the No. 3 receiver. Asked if he was disappointed, Sweed said, "You know, that's just the way it goes, man. I don't call the shots. I'm just a player on the team." He then added, "It's not about me. It's about the team. We're 1-0." The other second-year guy who's supposed to bust out — Rashard Mendenhall — gained six yards on four carries and slammed into the quarterback on his first carry of the night.
PITTSBURGH - SEPTEMBER 11: Heath Miller(notes) #83 of the Pittsburgh Steelers tries to gain a few more yards as Chris Hope(notes) #24 of the Tennessee Titans makes the tackle on September 11, 2009 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Steelers defeated the Titans 13-10 in overtime. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)2. Return man Stefan Logan had a decent NFL debut. The "joystick" nearly busted a few, including a 39-yard return on the opening kickoff ("I almost got out the gate," he said), but let a punt drop and roll 15 yards to the Steelers' 15. Logan also made a fair catch at the 5, but he said the coaches told him it was the right play.
1. Roethlisberger lost as much yardage on a first-quarter sack (19 yards) as Parker gained on 13 carries. Asked about his running game (23 attempts, 36 yards), Arians smiled and said, "We won the game." Asked if he'd consider going to his fast-break offense full-time, he said, "I'd still like to try to run it a little bit."
Good luck with that.
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