Effort by defense wasted

The Steelers lost as an offense of about two dozen, not as a team of 53

By Bob Smizik
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/steelers/
Monday, September 22, 2008


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Ben Roethlisberger is sacked by the Eagles' Juqua Parker.

PHILADELPHIA -- Mike Tomlin likes to talk about the Steelers winning with 53 men and losing with 53 men. Such talk is nothing but the purest of coachspeak -- words that might sound good but often make little sense and are used mainly to foster a sense of team unity. Tomlin stuck with them yesterday although it was clear that in this particular game that old bromide didn't come close to applying.

"We didn't win,'' Tomlin said following a 15-6 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles. "We lost as 53.''

Not so.

The Steelers lost as an offense of about two dozen, not as a team of 53. The members of the offensive unit were manhandled by the Eagles. They were outmuscled, outhustled, outhit and outsmarted -- to say nothing of being outcoached.

After the game, members of the offensive unit spoke of "not being on the same page.'' They were so far from being cohesive it was more like they weren't in the same book or the same library.

Not only did the Eagles stop quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who completed 13 of 25 passes for 131 yards, they thoroughly silenced the Steelers' running game. The Steelers ran 19 times for 33 yards. After two 100-yard games, Willie Parker got 20 yards on 13 carries.


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Troy Polamalu and Bryant McFadden stop the Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson.

Consequently, it would be grossly unfair to blame any portion of this defeat on the defensive unit, which more than held up its end of the deal. The defense limited the Eagles to 15 points, 16 first downs and 260 yards. That should win most games, particularly considering the might of the Steelers offense. But at Lincoln Financial Field yesterday, it got them nothing.

This was one game in which Roethlisberger, as is his custom, did not give credit to his offensive linemen. If he had, the assembled media surrounding him might have doubled over in laughter. The offensive linemen left Roethlisberger as fair game to an Eagles onslaught that never stopped. Steelers quarterbacks were sacked nine times, with Roethlisberger going down on eight of them. It easily could have been 12 or more if Roethlisberger hadn't eluded tacklers or managed to make it across the line of scrimmage before being tackled after fleeing the pocket.

Seldom, if ever, has a Steelers offensive line been so badly outplayed. The Steelers coaches and players could not adjust to the defensive schemes of the Eagles and when they did the players were physically overmatched.

With no linemen to praise, Roethlisberger said the only nice thing he could:

"The defense was the reason were able to stay close. They gave us a chance to win the game.''

What was particularly heartening for the defense is it stopped what had been a prolific offense led by one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. The Eagles had averaged 37.5 points in their first two games. To hold them to less than half of that was remarkable. Quarterback Donovan McNabb led the Eagles on a 13-play, 85-yard drive on their second possession and did little else the remainder of the game.


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Byron Leftwich is sacked by the Eagles Juqua Parker and Darren Howard.

The Eagles played most of the final three quarters without running back Brian Westbrook, who is vital to their offense. But when he was in the game he managed only 12 yards on five carries and did not catch a pass.

"Overall, I thought we really played well,'' said inside linebacker Larry Foote, who was credited with 11/2 sacks.

It was a wasted effort, though. It should have been good enough for a win, instead it was part of a game that put a whole different slant on the season.

When the Steelers play Baltimore at Heinz Field in a week, it will be the Ravens who will be undefeated (2-0) and in first place in the AFC North Division. The gaping lead the Steelers opened over Cleveland, which was expected to be their toughest rival in the North, means nothing. With the Ravens beating Cleveland yesterday -- more soundly than the Steelers did -- they suddenly have the look of the team to beat in the division.

In circumstances like those of yesterday, it's always good to dredge up another old bromide: A team is never as good as it looks in a great victory and never as bad as it looks in bad defeat.

That definitely applies to the Steelers. They are not as bad as they played against the Eagles. The first two games, albeit against lesser opponents, were not mirages. The 10 wins from a year ago count for something. Adjustments will have to be made and the players will have to handle those adjustments and should.

On a day when the former AFC elite, New England and Indianapolis, lost to previously winless teams, the Steelers loss doesn't look all that outrageous.

It's the NFL: Anything can happen and usually does.

Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com.
First published on September 22, 2008 at 12:00 am