By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
After further review, disappointment and frustration are not the best words to describe the Steelers in those hurtful moments Sunday after they realized there would be no New Year's miracle and they would not be going to the playoffs.
Bewilderment and disbelief are.
Tackle Willie Colon best put it into words.
"You keep asking yourself, 'How did we get in this position?' "
Peter Diana/Post-Gazette
Steelers kicker Jeff Reed missed to field goals in a 17-14 loss at Chicago, Sept. 20.
Well, I'm here this morning to answer that question, not just for Colon and the fellas, but for anyone else who can't quite believe the defending Super Bowl champions are out after being 6-2 at midseason.
No need to thank me.
• The Steelers failed because of a 17-14 loss in Chicago Sept. 20 ...
The defense blows a 14-7 lead in the fourth quarter, a portent of many bad days to come. There will be fourth-quarter collapses in four more defeats. Kicker Jeff Reed -- perhaps the team's most reliable player -- misses field-goal tries from 38 and 43 yards. He will make 25 of his next 27 kicks, missing only from 52 and 53 yards. An embarrassed Reed says, "If there's one player who can single-handedly lose a game, I'll take credit for it."
• The Steelers failed because of a 23-20 loss in Cincinnati Sept. 27 ...
They lose for the first time in nine games at Paul Brown Stadium despite leading, 20-9, in the fourth quarter. Wide receiver Limas Sweed drops what should be a 34-yard touchdown pass. Bengals cornerback Johnathan Joseph intercepts a Ben Roethlisberger pass when wide receiver Santonio Holmes turns the wrong way and returns it 30 yards for a touchdown. Running back Rashard Mendenhall is benched on offense because he -- in coach Mike Tomlin's words -- "wasn't on his details this week." An already baffled Colon says, "It's just a numbing feeling right now."
• The Steelers failed because of another loss to the Bengals, this one, 18-12, at Heinz Field Nov. 15 ...
The Bengals' Bernard Scott returns a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. Safety Ryan Clark drops a fourth-quarter interception. The offense moves inside the Bengals' 12 on four occasions, settling for a field goal each time. Roethlisberger has a 51.5 passer rating. A humbled Big Ben says, "I played bad."
• The Steelers failed because of a 27-24 overtime loss at Kansas City Nov. 22 ...
Just when you thought you couldn't possibly see another kickoff return for a touchdown, the Chiefs' Jamaal Charles takes the opening kick 97 yards for a score. That makes four in five games by an opponent, tying an NFL single-season record. The defense blows a late 24-17 lead, giving up 30- and 47-yard passes on consecutive plays, then giving up another 61-yarder in overtime. Cornerback Ike Taylor drops an interception moments earlier in overtime. Tight end Heath Miller -- maybe the team's most dependable player if Reed isn't -- turns an easy catch into an interception when the ball clangs off his hands. Roethlisberger throws an interception from the Chiefs' 10 as he's hit and watches linebacker Andy Studebaker return it 94 yards to set up a field goal. Running back Mewelde Moore is stopped for a 3-yard loss on third-and-2 at the Chiefs' 35 in overtime as the offense wastes a 516-yard day. A contrite Tomlin says, "I have to have this football team better prepared to play."
• The Steelers failed because of a 20-17 overtime loss in Baltimore Nov. 29 ...
Roethlisberger is held out because of a concussion late in the Kansas City game, leading to a national flap when wide receiver Hines Ward appears to question his toughness. Ward apologizes to Roethlisberger but says his words were misconstrued. Second-year man Dennis Dixon fills in admirably in his first significant NFL appearance but throws a crushing interception in overtime after the defense couldn't hold a 17-14 lead late in regulation. A steely Tomlin promises the team will "unleash hell."
• The Steelers failed because of a 27-24 home loss to the Oakland Raiders Dec. 6 ...
Tomlin's fightin' words seem hollow after the defense collapses, wasting 10-6, 17-13 and 24-20 leads in the fourth quarter. Rookie cornerback Joe Burnett drops what should have been an interception on the Raiders' winning drive. Roethlisberger slips and comes up short on a fourth-and-1 sneak from the Oakland 5. A pessimistic Taylor describes the team's playoff chances as "slimmer than a dog on a diet."
• The Steelers failed because of a 13-6 loss at Cleveland Dec. 10 ...
The team's fifth consecutive defeat is the most painful, ending a 12-game winning streak against the woeful Browns. The defense is shredded for 171 rushing yards by the NFL's worst offense. Roethlisberger's offense can't get a touchdown against the league's worst defense, which is playing without five injured starters. He is sacked eight times. Realistic-to-the-bone nose tackle Casey Hampton says of those fading playoff hopes, "It's a wrap, man. This [bleep] is a wrap."
And so it was.
The Steelers won their final three games to finish 9-7, but it wasn't enough. For the second time in five years, they didn't even make the playoffs after winning the Super Bowl.
The disappointment and frustration are understandable.
The bewilderment and disbelief are not.
The reasons for the Steelers' failure are quite clear.
Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.
First published on January 5, 2010 at 12:00 am
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