By Mark Madden
September 10, 2017
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) holds off Cleveland Browns linebacker Jabrill Peppers (22) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Given Mike Tomlin's reluctance to use selected key Steelers very much in the preseason games -- and Le'Veon Bell not showing up until those were completed -- it was logical to figure that Sunday at Cleveland would be the rough equivalent of a fifth exhibition.
It was.
The focus of the offense, especially early, seemed to be punishing Bell for his holdout by limiting his involvement. When Bell did get the ball, he was mostly lousy: 13 touches for 47 total yards.
The only people more frustrated than Bell were his fantasy-league owners.
It wasn't a vintage day for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. His passes too often went behind the target.
Only a truly remarkable performance by Antonio Brown (11 receptions for 182 yards) got Roethlisberger's numbers to a decent level. Brown adjusted to a few sub-par throws, and his catch late in the fourth quarter among a crowd of Browns got 38 critical yards and an even more crucial first down.
The "best offense in football" netted just 290 yards total, only 35 yards rushing and just 14 points. Not exactly "best."
The penalties were brutal -- although it's worth noting that the game, like most in the NFL, was horribly over-officiated.
The Steelers took 13 flags, costing them 144 yards. Four of the Steelers’ penalties were personal fouls for unnecessary roughness.
It was typical lack of discipline by a Tomlin team against a lesser foe. J.J. Wilcox's fourth-quarter personal foul was laughable: Wilcox's high hit couldn't prevent a Cleveland touchdown, and Wilcox left the field injured.
But a win is a win, albeit one the Steelers were a bit fortunate to get.
Entertainment value was minimal. The Steelers' touchdowns were scored by clunky white guys with no rhythm. NFL players are allowed to dance now, but no Steeler who got the opportunity could.
T.J. Watt tried, after a sack. He failed. Yuck.
Good thing Brown boogied in two new commercials last week, and on "The Tonight Show." There's a man who knows a dance from a dipstick.
So, the Steelers won, but it wasn't pretty. Talk-show callers will likely overreact with great fury, and thank God.
But the result makes Sunday a perfectly tolerable performance: Disappointing in some ways, but an acceptable stepping stone to better times given the stumbling blocks of the preseason.
The defense was decent, racking up seven sacks thanks to relentless pursuit and pressure but also because Cleveland rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer too often held onto the ball too long.
Watt got two sacks and an interception. If the rookie outside linebacker keeps that up, it's going to be hard to bench him for James Harrison at the season's midway point. But the Steelers will.
Anthony Chickillo, deputizing at outside 'backer for the injured (again) Bud Dupree, also had two sacks. He scored the game's first touchdown when he recovered Tyler Matakevich’s blocked punt.
Without that early special-teams TD, do the Steelers win?
Luckily, they didn't have to find out.
The performance of newly-acquired cornerback Joe Haden couldn’t be called good or bad. That’s a huge improvement over Ross Cockrell. The secondary wasn’t a dumpster fire and that, too, is a big upgrade.
No one's performance is to be condemned, especially after a win. You play to win the game, as a coach with a .422 winning percentage once said.
The Steelers won the game. The Steelers are a good team, and will play much better. They know what they have, and where they’re at.
Same with Bell. He’s the NFL's best running back. It’s just a matter of time until Bell again plays like it.
Bell just needs to stop rapping. Not because his rap career necessarily detracts from football. But because Bell is awful at it.
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).
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