By Mark Madden
January 4, 2018
All season, we’ve fretted about the Steelers being victimized by distractions.
But it looks like they’re immune.
The entire 2017 campaign has been a non-stop, black-and-gold circus act.
Or “black and yellow,” as JuJu Smith-Schuster prefers, because, you know, Wiz Khalifa. Imagine, a rookie changing the team’s colors.
By the time offensive coordinator Todd Haley got picked up off the sidewalk outside North Shore nightspot Tequila Cowboy on New Year’s Eve, I’d forgotten that Le’Veon Bell skipped training camp.
Or that Antonio Brown threw a water cooler.
Or that Martavis Bryant asked to be traded and belittled Smith-Schuster on social media, earning himself a game on the inactive list.
Or that Smith-Schuster got his bike swiped. (That was actually fun. So was Smith-Schuster blocking Cincinnati’s Vontaze Burfict into next week. #karma)
Or that Marcus Gilbert got suspended four games for PED use. (That didn’t quite resonate with the locals like Barry Bonds’ ever-swelling head did.)
Or that Alejandro Villanueva went on the field in Chicago and put his hand over his heart during the national anthem, thus betraying an agreement made by Steelers players to stay in the tunnel until the song was over. (That distraction was the most damaging so far, as the discombobulated Steelers lost to the Bears, who finished 5-11. That defeat cost the Steelers home field.)
Nobody has yet forgotten about the distraction that keeps on distracting: James Harrison’s departure to New England.
Can Villanueva block Harrison come the AFC championship game? Distractions collide at Foxborough. Harrison is welcome to his “Rudy” sacks. But if the Steelers’ offensive line has a weak link, it’s Villanueva.
The Steelers managed to sidestep their myriad of in-house tomfoolery because they’re a great football team. If 13-3 lies, it’s only a little.
The defense coalesced as well as could be hoped, although Ryan Shazier’s injury leaves the middle wide open. (Losing Shazier isn’t a distraction. It’s a tragedy.) Vince Williams is a good second fiddle at inside ’backer, but now he’s playing too much and having to do too much.
Some say Bud Dupree has disappointed. But he’s adequate. There are only so many sacks to go around. Not every player can stand out.
The secondary is better with Joe Haden back from injury to provide glue. But you can flip Mike Mitchell over. He’s done on this side.
On offense, the usual suspects did their jobs. Bell and Brown excelled.
Unexpected credit goes to backup linemen Chris Hubbard and B.J. Finney, who performed like starters when (frequently) called upon.
Smith-Schuster walked that fine line between cutesy and obnoxious, and the touchdown celebrations he choreographs mostly stink. But he had major impact, and may eventually be the No. 1 receiver when Brown fades.
But the Steelers’ main catalyst is Ben Roethlisberger.
Roethlisberger is known to sow distraction, like when he said, “Maybe I don’t have it anymore” after tossing five interceptions vs. Jacksonville on Oct. 8. (His words were dripping with sarcasm, though most chose to not notice.)
But since that debacle against the Jaguars, Roethlisberger went 9-1. His quarterback rating dipped below 90 just twice, and never below 87.7. He threw 22 touchdowns against just seven interceptions. Roethlisberger ultimately passed for over 4,000 yards, doing so for the fifth time in his career.
At 35, Roethlisberger is still brilliant. He just very wisely picks his spots.
Not that the Steelers have had much to do with wisdom this year. But 13-3 and the No. 2 seed is exactly what most expected, maybe even one win better.
When chaos is a constant, you can survive it. Thrive, even.
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).
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