Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports.html
Monday January 17, 2011 12:10 AM
PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 15: Defensive end Brett Keisel celebrates after defeating the Baltimore Ravens 31-24 in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game at Heinz Field on January 15, 2011 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)Nice game, Steelers. Gutsy.
But you’ll have to play much better than that to beat the New York Jets.
There’s no dismissing the Steelers’ resilience. No doubting — ever again — the clutch nature of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who pulled a nail out of the Steelers’ coffin on third-and-19 and hammered it into the Ravens’.
Any other town, they’d already be building a statue of Roethlisberger. That’s OK. I’ll do it myself.
But special teams were a disaster. Consider Baltimore’s fourth-quarter punt-return touchdown that got penalized back to the Steelers’ 29 but still set up the Ravens’ game-tying field goal. The Steelers committed three penalties on special teams. Shaun Suisham missed a 43-yard field goal.
One-for-two in a playoff game: Sounds about right for Suisham.
Chris Kemoeatu: Idiot, selfish or both? He dove violently into the pile after what turned out to be the Steelers’ game-winning touchdown, got flagged and pushed the kickoff back to the 15. Players get cut for less.
Speaking of stupid, the entire offensive platoon stood around and watched Baltimore’s Cory Redding pick up a live ball and stroll into the end zone. Play to the whistle. That’s Football 101.
Sloppiness. Two turnovers. Nine penalties for 93 yards. Missed tackles. Even Troy Polamalu was often a day late and a dollar shot.
PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 15: Tight end Heath Miller catches the ball for a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens in the third quarter of the AFC Divisional Playoff Game at Heinz Field on January 15, 2011 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)No complaint about the result. A win is a win is a win, even more so in a playoff situation. Even more so against the Ravens, half of a rivalry coach Mike Tomlin accurately described as “Hagler-Hearns.”
Tomlin showed fortitude in the final quarter when he spurned a short go-ahead field-goal attempt to go for it on fourth-and-one. Roethlisberger sneaked past the sticks, but the Steelers still had to settle for three points four plays later. If the Steelers get stopped, Tomlin gets crucified.
Advertisement Next Sunday goes beyond fortitude. Beyond slugging it out with an enemy. This is a shot at the Super Bowl. Don’t dare underestimate the Jets. They won a best-of-three against New England. Beat the Steelers at Heinz Field. The Jets are formidable. They have a “team of destiny” feel.
The villain in this past Saturday’s game? Believe it or not, it wasn’t a Raven. The officials seemed determined to ruin this game from the start, and certainly made it grind to a halt on more than one occasion by calling 15 penalties for 167 yards. It was a rough game. It wasn’t Afghanistan.
The hero? That’s easy.
Roethlisberger not only continues to further his reputation as a catalyst that wins big games, he is actually gaining ground on Tom Brady as football’s best quarterback. He doesn’t have the sheer numbers, and may never. But he continues to string together signature moments in the manner of his hero, John Elway. “Third-and-19” will resonate for quite some time.
In the end, it’s about how many Super Bowls you win. Roethlisberger could yet win more than Brady. Needs to beat Brady head-up in a playoff game, too. But that can’t happen this season.
Meantime, let’s enjoy the last moment of Steelers-Ravens III: T.J. Houshmandzadeh drops Baltimore’s final hope. JACKPOT!
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).
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